Celebrating Planting Resulting in a Bountiful Harvest

The vegetable garden at Maison Jésus-Marie (MJM) is flourishing again this year. Responsible for its upkeep, from spring sowing to season-long harvesting, Sr. Léa Dulude devotes the same energy to maintaining this colorful space for the enjoyment of residents and visitors alike.

Already at the end of May, during the annual celebration for the sowing season, the presentation of several seedlings, vegetables and other items hinted at a fine harvest. Prepared by Sr. Michelle Gouin, in charge of pastoral care at MJM, this “celebration asks the Lord to make our sowing ripen so that we may abundantly reap the fruits of the earth that will be our nourishment throughout the year.”

With a visual as concrete as the healthy seedlings resulting from Sr. Léa’s daily care, the celebration got the new season off to a good start with Robert Lebel’s song “Comme on fait son jardin”. The prayer intentions focused on giving thanks to God for the earth and sky, sun and rain, and the course of the seasons. The celebration ended with Patrick Richard’s Psaume de la création.

Caring for the earth

Two months later, a visit to the vegetable garden with Sr. Léa shows how nature has borne fruit. The heat of the first half of the season has had a beneficial effect, but has also demanded more attention from the gardener. She doesn’t hesitate to try things out and even to plant again, in order to achieve beautiful results.

Once everything has been sown and planted, she monitors the progress of each plant. Removing weeds, pruning, and picking vegetables such as cucumbers and summer squash (zucchini) before they get too big. “This avoids large pips and makes things easier in the kitchen.” Sometimes, as Sr. Léa explains, you have to rearrange the plants or make a note of them for the following season. “This year, cucumbers and tomatoes are growing very well, while carrots and beest are struggling.”

The gardener has to contend not only with the changes in the weather, but also with the little creatures that sneak in, despite the fence, to taste the fruits of her labor.

Harvest time has already arrived

In any case, the vegetable garden is magnificent at this time of year. It is a good time to take a stroll and smell the aromas, touching the leaves of the herbs, for example. You can simply take a break and watch nature in full bloom. “I marvel every day as I walk through the garden. It invites me to give thanks for the beauty and generosity of nature,” exclaims Sr. Léa, passionate about working directly with the earth.

For the more inquisitive, it is well worth seeing how the plants progress, from the appearance of the little flower prior to the vegetable that will soon take shape. And that is not counting the fact that for several weeks now, the residents have been able to taste some of the vegetables and herbs. The distribution of tomatoes to the Sisters is a great opportunity to build relationships and see their enjoyment.

In addition to Sr. Léa’s daily work, the Sisters also contribute to composting by crushing eggshells and finely chopping fruit peels. The gardener makes a point of collecting all this material and burying it, only to discover that, here too, nature does its work beautifully and sometimes quite quickly.

Photos credit: Sr. Suzanne Brault