By Erica Crompton
Bhakti Vinode, head gardener at Krishna Eco Farm in Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, on past lives and plants with souls. "I have been on the farm since 1989, having first been to a Krishna farm in Watford in 1981. Back then, I was living in a squat and hanging around the West End of London, drinking and getting into trouble. But the Krishna way of life gave me a new goal, rather than always thinking about where I could get my next fix from. I live right next to the farm in Lesmahagow. We’re on a long, winding hillside. We’ve converted the old farmhouse at the top of the hill into a function hall. Farther down the hill, there are two ashrams, one for the men and the other for the women. We have a walled garden and a herb garden, and some lawns for recreation. Four greenhouses sit on the side of the hill, and there’s also an orchard. The hill carries on into the village, where the farm owns a handful of houses."