Just when Ed van der Aa (74) was about to start the Camino de Levante, a 800-kilometre pilgrimage from Valencia to Zamora, his wife, Ine van der Aa (75), heard that she was taking part of the cloister garden of the Chapel in ‘t Zand in Roermond was allowed to maintain. Ed frowned, for the cloister garden was overgrown and heavy work would have to be done. But Ine had waited a long time for this opportunity. After their retirement, they had moved to a nice apartment in the city, but she was missing the earth. So Ed went out and Ine got to work.
Redemptorist Monastery
It was early spring. Upon arrival at the cloister, Ine found a field with tall grass and dense brambles. In its heyday, at least twenty priests lived in the adjacent Redemptorist monastery, but the abbey had emptied out in recent decades. In 2011, a pharmacists’ association had bought the buildings and converted them into care centers. However, the garden had remained of the Chapel and was managed by a local resident who grew potatoes in straight rows in the middle of the garden.
This local resident gave Ine a piece in the sunny part of the garden. She sowed off two squares where she grew some peas, potatoes and cosmea, among other things. She cut the grass around her vegetable gardens short, creating a soft and walkable path. Once she was done with her two beds, she looked at the tall grass around her and wondered if she couldn’t expand her area a bit.
In addition to some wild plants such as cucumber herb, comfrey and ground elder, the soil also shows its history
Meanwhile, Ed was walking on sandy trails in central Spain. A few years before that, he was still in front of the class. Now he enjoyed the days when he rarely saw anyone.
Ed returned in the summer. Ine had meanwhile planted six vegetable gardens in the sunny part and was now busy cultivating the shady side of the garden. Ed rolled up his sleeves too, picked up his shovel and laid the outstretched sods in heaps next to the flowerbeds.
turning compost heaps
Ine and Ed now maintain a large part of the monastery garden for the seventh year together. They come by four to five times a week to pick fruit, inspect their vegetables and turn the compost heaps. They harvest enough for themselves, friends, local residents and family. The rest is for the birds, the snails and other animals in the garden.
The rewilded piece for NRC is located on the south side of the cloister. In addition to some wild plants such as cucumber herb, comfrey and ground elder, the soil also shows its history. For example, two potato plants that Ed planted a few years ago have sprung up, and a row of rhubarb plants comes up every year right next to the wild piece. Ine and Ed point to the Chapel. A legacy of the fathers.