Grow Veterans lend green thumb to comrades
When Ben Knight returned from duty in the Army, his thoughts raced.
That's when gardening became his therapy.
“When you're gardening, you're in that moment, you're not worried about the past or the future,” said Knight, who has lived in Butler for nearly five years. “You're able to work on your person.
'When I'm gardening, I feel like I'm working on myself at the same time. You're receiving benefit from that internally and spiritually even,” he said. “It's like a sacred space for me.”
Knight is one of the two veterans who were trained at a Pennsylvania State University Extension Master Gardener program through a grant the VA Health Care Center received to fund four, free garden workshops for veterans at the Abie Abraham VA Health Care Center, 353 N. Duffy Road.
In spring 2018, Congress directed the Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health to create a pilot program to provide veterans with agricultural vocation training, behavioral health care services and treatments from licensed providers.
In response, the Veterans Affairs Farming and Recovery Mental Health Services pilot program was created.
The VA Butler Health Care System was one of 10 sites awarded funding to implement its proposed pilot programs, said Karen Dunn, health promotion and disease prevention program manager.
A portion of the funding sent the two veterans to the gardening program to return and lead the workshops.
Green gloves and red trowels were available for participants for the hands-on demonstration.
Knight drilled large holes into the bottom of 5-gallon buckets as participants planted their own tomato and pepper plants.
He attended the Penn State Master Gardener program over the winter to further his knowledge and interest in gardening, Knight said.
“As long as people show up and are willing to learn it should be an easy environment to share,” he said. “It's just veterans helping veterans.”
A day could come where people's children and grandchildren will have to garden and farm, said veteran workshop co-leader Paul Starr.
“You don't have to have a 5-acre field to garden,” Starr said.
Starr was 5 when he experienced gardening for the first time, he said. At the time, he kept bothering his neighbor who placed seeds in the palms of Starr's hand and told him to plant them.Since that moment, Starr has gardened. He enjoys eating what he grows and singing to his plants, he said.He became involved with the workshops and attended the training when VA Health Care Center officials knew about his gardening experience, Starr said.Starr's goal is to interest youths in horticulture, he said.A portion of the project will also create a healing garden, an outdoor area for veterans, at the New Castle Road campus.The gardening workshops and garden space is a step in the right direction, Starr said.Starr's three tips are sun, soil nutrition and do not use too much or too little water, he said.In the midst of recent rain, Starr recommended gardeners make sure they have proper drainage.Jim Winterhalter of Meridian did not know he would be walking away from the session with a plant.“I learned things that after years of gardening I didn't know,” said Winterhalter, Navy veteran.
He attended the workshop to know more about how to garden in poor soil conditions. Usually, he has gardened in an open area.Now, Winterhalter lives in a residential area with a fenced in, 12-by-28 flower bed.Winterhalter learned azomite is a natural mineral substance, mined directly from its Utah desert source, can be used as an agricultural fertilizer.He also learned that urea, which contains nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, offers nutrients to plants when diluted.Winterhalter planned to return to the workshops with more questions, he said.Christian Snyder of Butler came to the workshops to learn plant identification and how to ready soil for gardening.“It felt pretty good,” said Snyder, a Marine Corp. veteran, about planting his tomato and pepper plants. “You learn better by doing.”Growing up, his aunt had a garden, he said, adding that is the majority of his gardening experience.Gardening takes knowledge, he said.Snyder said he would recommend other veterans who are interested in gardening to attend the workshops.“It gives you more confidence to get out there and get your hands dirty,” he said. “When you get around people who know gardening, you can't help but gain knowledge.”
