VANCOUVER, Wash. — It's a quarter acre, set on the edge of the sprawling Veterans Administration Health Care System campus in Vancouver. There is a red barn, and a lot of beautiful things growing.
“We planted half this bed in radishes, and they turned out good,” said Marine Corps veteran Brent Kuhn, pulling a few red radishes from the dirt.
The VA FARMS program, which stands for Veterans Affairs Farming and Recovery Mental Health Services, started in 2018. It was part of Kuhn’s treatment plan a few years ago.
“They have a rehabilitation treatment program here, and I came for alcohol. It was a six-month course, and you stay here on campus, and then right when I got here, I found this place,” recalled Kuhn.
For those six months, Kuhn lived and learned on the VA campus.
“It just takes my mind off a lot of things. You just stay busy with your hands, you know, and you're always doing something, thinking about something," Kuhn told KGW.
There is plenty of evidence that what happens here is truly therapeutic for veterans struggling with physical and mental health issues, from addictions to PTSD.
“The benefits of being in the garden — we are seeing that reducing anxiety, seeing lower incidences of depression; some veterans report that they have decreased amount of pharmaceutical use because this is more effective treatment for them,” said Brenda Taylor, a recreational therapist with VA Portland, which is connected with the Vancouver campus.
Treatment comes from tending to beautiful flowers and plants, vegetables, berries, grapes — and even a small fruit orchard.
“This is a hybrid pear, so it's got five different kinds of pairs on this one tree; it's all grafted in,” Kuhn demonstrated.
Kuhn keeps coming back because he loves it; he's experienced, really good at it, and now helping other vets at the VA Farm.
Mandy Atkinson is the therapeutic gardens program coordinator and an expert horticulturist.
“I'm seeing people grow and learn and learning and picking out things with plants ... that I didn't notice before,” Atkinson said, with a smile.
“I started coming out here three years ago for other purposes, and I got connected,” said Matt Rollins.
Rollins served eight years in the U.S. Coast Guard. He also keeps returning to tend to the garden, with his companion dog, Yuri.
“It's a place for me to come and like, like a safe space. And I can get kind of lost in what I’m doing, getting my hands dirty in the soil,” said Rollins.
Like those who come here, there is a lot of diversity at the VA farm, most of it starting from seed in the greenhouse, turning into a healthy bounty for body, mind and spirit.
“There's something about cooking things that you grew out of your garden, and then, when you share that stuff with other folks... I don’t know, it brings me some joy," Rollins said.
The VA FARMS is part of the VA's Whole Health program. It got its start at the Portland VA campus as a healing garden, then expanded into something bigger in Vancouver and nine other VA sites.
For more information on VA FARMS, contact VA Portland Whole Health staff at 360-737-1441 or email vhapor-farms@va.gov