This Year on the Farm

by Small Places Staff | Dec 31, 2020 | News

It has been a heck of a year, but as 2020 comes to a close, we can’t help but reflect on the many significant moments and accomplishments that we experienced throughout this year!

2020 in Numbers

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THE BEST OF 2020

Field Trips!

Oh, how we miss having young people out to the Farm! Early in 2020 we had the pleasure of having a few groups out to the farm including the Girl Scouts ‘Sow What ?’ Program and Briarmeadow School!

Beer and Bands

On a beautiful Spring night in March, we had the enchanting Sara Van Buskirk to the Farm for a night of beer and music! Thank you to all that attended and we hope that we will be able to do more of these in the future!

HOUSTON FOOD BANK PARTNERSHIPS

We partnered with the Houston Food Bank in response to COVID-19 to help pack and distribute 664 produce shares to families in need in the Houston area.

We also helped build out the Houston Food Bank gardens at their facilities!

The Neighborhood Produce Program

Thank you all for helping make our Neighborhood Produce Program possible! Because of you we were able to distribute over 1400 shares to families and households in need over here on the East End.

Project Flourish

This Spring, Dan and Tommy won $75,000 from Project Flourish, a social impact start-up competition!

Farm Produce and Foodstuffs Partnerships

A huge highlight of this year was working with other Houston area Farms and Food business to help support each other during the chaos of the pandemic. A special thank you to Chocolate Wasted, Whitehurst Heritage Farms, Verdegreens, Common Market, FreshLife Organics, and more for sharing your produces and goods and working with us this year!

Discovery Green Unsung Hero Award

Congratulations to our very own Farmer Tommy for his nomination for the Discovery Green Unsung Heroes of Houston Award! As those of you who know Tommy know very well, this is a well-deserved testament to Tommy’s passion for the work that we do here at the farm. Yay Tommy!

In September 2025, we started building out our greenhouse at Finca Tres Robles. In just a few short months, we have been able to grow multiple vegetable varieties and transplant them successfully into the fields, where they have grown and been harvested throughout the fall and winter months!

How a greenhouse works

At its simplest, a greenhouse captures sunlight and holds warmth, creating a stable environment for plants to grow.

Inside, we manage temperature, airflow, water, and light to give seedlings exactly what they need at each stage.

greenhouses matter for small, high-impact farms

Greenhouses give small farms a head start. They allow us to grow more food in limited space by protecting young plants from cold snaps, heavy rains, and unpredictable weather.

It’s a balance of structure and attentiveness. Less about forcing growth, more about creating the right conditions for it to happen naturally.

How greenhouses help us plan and grow more effectively

The greenhouse is where planning becomes tangible. By starting plants early and in controlled conditions, we can make thoughtful decisions about timing, spacing, and crop succession long before seedlings reach the field. This early preparation helps us use our resources wisely and respond with flexibility as the season unfolds.

For a high-impact farm, this protection means resilience. We can extend our growing season, reduce losses, and steward our land more carefully while still feeding our community.