A farm project dubbed T+H Farms from Houston-based Thompson + Hanson is bringing some fresh excitement.
Houston-based Thompson + Hanson is continuing its tradition of bringing beauty and elegance wherever it goes with a new farm project in La Grange dubbed T+H Farms.
The new farm is the latest venture from the venerable garden design, maintenance and landscape architecture company. Thompson + Hanson knows how to do this growth thing. It has expanded over the past decade to include three nurseries with attached lifestyle shops, four restaurants and five bakeries in Austin and Houston.
Now, it’s moved into the greater Round Top region.
Texans can’t get enough of the clean, casually refined aesthetic at Thompson + Hanson’s restaurants and bakeries, which were developed under the company’s Tiny Boxwoods Productions umbrella. Known for their fresh take on bistro style favorites, the Tiny Boxwoods restaurants are usually abuzz with prominent locals and regulars, and families frequently form lines outside its Milk & Cookies walk-up bakeries.
“The farm in La Grange started as a place for us to grow produce for our restaurants and bakeries,” Thompson + Hanson marketing director Karolina Vieser says. “We’re super excited to become more of a fixture in and around Round Top, and to be a part of that environment and community.”
T+H Farms broke ground on its La Grange gardens in January, and hosted a successful farmers market in May, much to the delight of locals and commuters who enjoy spending weekends in the area. This is a region where easy access to fresh produce can sometimes be limited. Market attendees found a bountiful selection of organically grown tomatoes, beets, okra, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, peppers, herbs and beans. Farm fresh eggs and honey are in the production stages.
“Thompson + Hanson has been interested in regenerative, responsible farming for many years,” Vieser says. “We love to bring organic, local produce to our restaurants. So we took a shot at growing it ourselves and it turned out beautifully.”
The success of T+H Farms is due largely to two on-site farmers, Clark and Mimi, who were on hand to protect and preserve the plants during the unprecedented Texas deep freeze in February. Their work helped ensure that the Tiny Boxwoods restaurants had a steady supply of produce in the spring at a time when many other restaurants struggled with shortages from commercial suppliers.
The T+H farmers live in two beautifully restored farmhouses, which were existing on the La Grange property. Thompson + Hanson has also added an “over the top” chicken coop to the land and an imported greenhouse is slated for installation this fall. Vieser hints at the future possibility of guest lodging being built at the farm, and the addition of classes and large group events.
“The farm is currently resting in between harvests, but we hope to announce some events once we get things growing again in the fall,” Vieser tells RoundTop.com.