Originally from West Virginia, Hannah Gongola moved to Austin in 2019 and worked at the Central Texas Food Bank before finding the inspiration to start her own company selling raised gardening beds for produce. She bought a 5.5-acre farm to sell her raised gardening beds but soon found it wasn’t where her passions lie.

“I kept adding and adding to the things on the farm,” Gongola said. “I was getting more animals; I was doing my own garden—I had so many other things on the farm that I enjoyed more.”

Gongola realized she had a passion for farming and opened H2Grow in Paige—less than 15 minutes from downtown Bastrop—offering a farm stand of fresh produce as well as classes and workshops.The inspiration

Now Gongola sells weekly produce boxes with eggs, beef and pork as available add-ons at her shop on the farm or for delivery. The mission is to reconnect people with their food, Gongola said.

H2Grow also offers a variety of butchering and baking classes, teaching guests every aspect of the process from raising livestock to using seasonal produce on the farm. In early spring, Gongola teaches gardening classes to prepare guests for the season, sharing regenerative, no-till practices.

Gongola hosted the first night of her "Farm Dinner" series at H2Grow in May. The series offers guests multicourse meals featuring local produce and wine pairings. Gongola said she also plans to host a singles’ night in the future.Gongola also offers farms stays, allowing visitors to fully experience the farming lifestyle at the property’s bunkhouse.

Find more information about upcoming events and farm stays on the H2Grow website.

• 2200 TX-21, Paige
• www.h2grow.co