August 13, 2024

Growing Community: Body and Soul

Lenny West is only 22, but already knows what he wants to do the rest of his life. An Army Veteran, he found his anchor and passionate mission in providing fresh vegetables and tasty microgreens to food desert neighbors in the Killeen/Temple area.

To grow his knowledge, he volunteered at community gardens. Now a 2024 graduate of the Bell County Master Gardener program, we met up with him at his Killeen rental house in May.

“My goal mostly is to be able to bring it to the youth because if you’re able to start young and have good coping skills, you’re able to connect the mind, the body and the soul at a young age. Then you are able to equip yourself to live a good, healthy life,” he told us.

“You just plant that seed in them and hope they water it, and just know that you were there to be a part of that.”

To expand his vision, he teamed up with fellow community-oriented champion, Deonta Davis.

A joyful, energetic and focused duo, they plan to transform a vacant lot—owned by Deonta’s family in Temple—into a food forest wellness harbor, complete with native plants for pollinators.

Back in Killeen, Lenny told us that he started gardening in an apartment.

To raise larger plants, he moved to a rental house, growing in 5-gallon containers, mostly donated from nurseries or repurposed from local delis for a few dollars. (Check your delis for pickle barrels, etc.) He even picks up recycled mushroom blocks from local mushroom growers.

He encourages young gardeners, “You don’t have to have a ton of money, and you don’t have to have a ton of space.”

Oh yeah, I’ve been there and I bet you have, too! Lenny revived so many precious memories of that first passalong, that first clipping that I successfully grew up thanks to the soda bottle greenhouse!

Thanks for stopping by! Linda

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