This Weather is Snow Joke

by Small Places Staff | Nov 28, 2017 | News

Winter made a sudden appearance last week leading to the exceedingly rare Houston snow harvest. It was in the 80s on Monday and snowing on Thursday and these large swings in temperature are just one of the challenges of farming in Houston.

We made extensive preparations before the snow, covering our younger plants with frost cloth to protect them from the cold. Things are looking okay in the fields and it appears we’ll get through with limited crop damage. There’s always something new around the corner when you farm in Houston, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

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.