Houston VA Garden a Source of Healing for Veterans
For Veteran Leon Warren III, reducing the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder is made easier through his passion for gardening, and he does it at Houston VA’s Peaceful Garden.
Warren spent seven years in the Army as a communications technician. He deployed shortly after 9/11 to the southern borders of Kuwait and Iraq.
“As someone going through mental health, therapy and medications, the garden allowed me to connect with nature, the fresh air, the sunlight, the dirt and the plants,” says Warren.
With the help of his social worker and peer support specialist, he serves as one of the lead volunteers maintaining the garden.
What visitors find
If you visit, you’ll find blooming roses and sunflowers. And there’s produce: eggplant, different tomato varieties, squash, peppers, basil and mint. It’s a haven for those who stop by.
“The garden is not just a source of produce that we hand out to Veterans every Friday at noon, it’s also a place where we gather for impromptu therapy sessions,” Warren says.
The garden was created in 2020 with donated plants from local gardening groups. Houston VA’s Facilities Services, Volunteer Services, VA Whole Health Committee, and Social Work Services help tend it. When freezing temperatures almost destroyed part of it, everyone came together to help save it.
“By being quick on our feet and applying leaf mulch, we were able to save the day,” says social worker Carmichael Khan. “After some time, the garden soil changed with the patient application of compost, no-till methods, companion planting, and beneficial insects. It has become a teaching tool and a premium source of fruit, vegetables, and herbs.”
The garden welcomes Veterans, employees and visitors. Its motto, “lettuce grow,” is a reminder that everything evolves, from people to plants. Just as the plants rely on and grow from each other’s nutrients, so do the people who visit it.