Sweet potato originated in Central and South America over 5,000 years ago and spread across the world through early trade routes, reaching India centuries ago. Today, it grows in many varieties—different colour skins, different shapes, different coloured flesh—each with its own taste and texture. They are rich in fiber, vitamins, and slow-release carbohydrates. At AuroOrchard we grow the purple skin-white flesh variety which is called Oriental/ Japanese. It requires rich soils and we grow in rotation with successive rounds of Sunnhemp, in our experimental agroforestry plots. The yields in the last few years have been exceptional!

#auroorchard #sweetpotatoes #harvesting #fyp #food

*Introduction to Natural Beekeeping*

This workshop offers an introduction to local honeybees and their world. We will explore what honeybees are : how they feed, make decisions, reproduce, and interact with their environment along with key aspects of natural beekeeping, including how to support bees through flowers, water, shelter, and how to recognise different types. Participants will also observe real beehives and a rich photo collection gathered over 13 years.

*Facilitator:*
*Erik Jansegers* a tropical agronomist, organic farmer & beekeeper with 20+ years of experience. Passionate about bees, he studies their behavior and works at AuroOrchard farm focusing on natural beekeeping, sharing his knowledge through workshops, hands-on learning, documentation, and engagement with communities, including children and learners.

*Limited spots available.*

*Registration (Mandatory)Link im bio:* https://forms.gle/XtysP8Eef3hQk2n37

*Location*:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/FpRuKH5bfBurmsQL7

*Contact* Charan: +91 8431764831

It was a pleasure hosting The Fungal Thread workshop at AuroOrchard, facilitated by Ishan and Jashid last week.

The session opened up the fungal world beyond just food exploring the difference between culinary and functional mushrooms, and how diverse traditions have worked with them over time. We touched upon how preparation influences their effects, and why mushrooms are often misunderstood.

A key takeaway was their role in supporting balance especially through fibre rich nutrition and their ability to work with the immune system in a more regulating way. We also explored specific mushrooms like reishi, lion’s mane, and cordyceps, and their connection to rest, focus, and sustained energy.

The conversation expanded into their ecological role how fungi act as recyclers and connectors in the soil, supporting plant life and overall ecosystem health.

We then moved into a hands-on session, where we created two mushroom beds together--reishi and pink oyster. It was a fun and collaborative process, with participants exploring the farm to gather raw materials while others prepared the beds. Everything came together using what the land offered, keeping the process simple and adaptable.

A shared space of learning, making, and observing and now we watch how the fungi respond in the days to come.

Our vegetable garden is about 2 acres, growing a diversity of crops on raised beds as well plots. The diversity of crops in the vegetable garden changes throughout the year depending on the season, the needs of the community, the needs of the soil. We are now preparing for summer and for planting in June/July and therefore more and more beds and fields will be put under green manures- like sunnhemp and cowpea to protect the soil from the harsh summer sun and prepare biomass for later planting.

#vegatablegarden #sunhemp #auroville #cowpea #farming

🌿 Stories ~ March 2026 ~ #15 — Our farm had a lot to share this month. From certifications to seasonal shifts, here’s a glimpse into what’s been happening at AuroOrchard.

Stay connected with us. To sign up, go to the link in bio.

#auroorchard #auroorchardstories #auroville #marketgarden

Our nursery is our central zone where all the plants are first started. We save seeds of over 90% of the food crops that we grow- brinjal, ladies fingers, pumpkin, beans of different kinds, cucumber, basil, basella, fruits like papaya, ramphal, soursop etc.

All these are started in the nursery and slowly moved to the fields as and when they are ready. Our continuous harvest requires continuous planting making the nursery an intensely dynamic space and activity on the farm.

#auroorchard #auroorchardstories #auroville #nursery #aurovillefarm

*Call for Volunteers – AuroOrchard*

AuroOrchard, Auroville’s oldest farm, spread across 25 acres, has been a cornerstone of Auroville’s food system for over five decades.

This is an invitation to be part of a hands-on learning space whether you’re new to farming, experienced, or interested in research and collaboration.

*Areas you can engage in:*

• *Polyorchards*— pruning, mulching, planting, harvesting fruits, and understanding how diverse trees and plants grow together

• *Year-round vegetable gardening* -seasonal cultivation, soil preparation, composting, and learning how to grow your own food

• *Seed saving & nursery* — seed collection, drying, storage, and raising saplings adapted to local conditions

• *Food processing (Abundance)* — making juices, coolers, dehydrated and fermented products from farm produce

• *Free-range poultry* — basic care, feeding, and understanding natural systems of raising chickens

• *Education & research* — ongoing learning, experimentation, data collection.

*Time slots*: 7–9 AM, 9:00–9:30 AM (breakfast at farm), 9:30–12 PM, 2–5 PM *join any slot that works for you*

*Reflections from past volunteers*:
https://auroorchard.auroville.org/reflections-from-volunteers/

*Volunteer Registeration Form* Link in bio
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc6ByfQeX2COAeLLl_6fnmSBAkHbibuGzkfLdrOA4dQYLt5HQ/viewform

Seeds, stories, and the spaces in between.

Facilitated by Deepthi Indukuri, this workshop unfolded as a living inquiry into the nature of seeds. What do seeds mean to us, when is a seed alive, and when is it not? We explored how seeds may appear still yet hold immense potential, and how life continues even in what we may perceive as “inactive.”

We reflected on
• Dormancy, vitality, and time
• Why not all seeds germinate and how nature designs abundance
• The importance of seed saving for biodiversity and resilience
• The narrowing of varieties through industrial agriculture
• Seeds as relationships carrying culture, memory, reciprocity, and connection

A beautiful thread that unfolded was Seed, the word in different languages from vittanam / vittanalu (Telugu), Vidhai(Tamil) and vithu (Malayalam) to beej (Hindi), samen (German), seme (Italian) and the connection to vita (life) revealing how deeply seeds are tied to vitality across cultures.

We also explored indigenous, native, hybrid, and grafted plants, the evolving story of seeds with place (like the “orchard cucumber”), their resilience in changing conditions and the care involved in saving and regenerating seeds across seasons.

We walked together to the nursery with Usha from Auro Orchard, witnessing seeds at different stages, including cacao just sprouting.

Join us for an immersive session exploring how engaging with fungi can support both personal wellbeing and ecological harmony.

🗓 Date: Sunday, 12 April 2026
⏰ Time: 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
📍 AuroOrchard

*Facilitators:*
*Jashid Hameed* – Co-founder, Nuvedo- India’s leading functional mushroom brand; mushroom cultivator, educator & permaculturist with over a decade of experience working with fungi across research, cultivation, and community learning spaces.

*Ishan* – Mycophile and researcher exploring natural mushroom cultivation, mycelium-based systems, and integrating fungi into self-sustaining farm ecosystems.

This session is open to anyone curious about healing, ecology, farming, and the unseen networks that sustain life.

🔗 Registration (Mandatory) Link in Bio:
https://forms.gle/XtysP8Eef3hQk2n37

Contact: Charan +91 8431764831

Seeds the carriers of life, more often than not also come with stories. Who grew them, what type are they, what are the origins, how did they travel to where they thrive, indigenious or geniuses with memories…

This Friday, join us at AuroOrchard with *Deepthi Indukuri* in a *Sharing circle of Seed Stories*.

*Deepthi* is a multidisciplinary researcher. One of her current explorations looks at human–more-than-human relationships and the nature of embodiment — the stories we share with our planet.

She has been part of the Auroville community for over five years and is currently based at Aurobrindavan.

*Registration Link (Mandatory)* Link in Bio
https://forms.gle/XtysP8Eef3hQk2n37

*Friday(3rd April) | 3pm-4.30pm*
*Location*- https://maps.app.goo.gl/AKoo6riUbTSGP9HQ7

Contact- Charan +91 8431764831