Much like the plants and crops that fill her George Street yard, Ivette Ruiz grew from the soil. After suffering a traumatic brain injury from a fall in 2020, Ruiz, a third-generation farmer, rediscovered her love of gardening and used the hobby to stir herself from a severe depression. She said she noticed how working with the soil soothed her body and nourished her mind. The process, she added, saved her life.
"I was able to see how out of nothing, in the darkness of the ground, there was something so magnificent happening that I couldn't see, and the same thing was happening in my brain," Ruiz said. "I'm creating new pathways every day." Seeing how much gardening improved her well-being, Ruiz sought to help other trauma survivors feel that same relief. The result was Healing by Growing Farms, a therapeutic micro-farm that serves as a space for those affected by trauma to heal and grow through agriculture.
Certified by the United States Department of Agriculture, Healing by Growing Farms celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony in August. Since then, the farm has given trauma survivors a chance to regroup and regenerate by connecting with themselves, their peers, and the environment.
At Healing by Growing Farms, trauma survivors, who are referred to as guests, learn basic agricultural and conservation skills by participating in therapeutic farming sessions. This small-scale farm operates on the land surrounding Ruiz's single-family home on George Street, and its confines are concealed by tall fences meant to ensure privacy.
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