It’s been said that a farmer works in acres, not hours. Sam Thorp of Spade & Plow Farms in Gilroy enjoys telling the story of his family farm in terms of acres.
“My Dad (Mike), my brother Nick and I would always talk about having a smaller farm based on the community-supported ag (CSA) model. We wanted to grow food organically and sell our harvests directly to consumers. It was more than making money. CSA represented our core values as a family, and we liked the lifestyle too. My dad managed big ranches in the Salinas Valley for a large Salinas-based commercial farm enterprise and spent time managing commercial-scale organic fruit and vegetable production in Yuma, Arizona.” Sam worked for a large strawberry shipper in the Monterey Bay area while his brother Nick worked in commercial agriculture. They all agreed they’d rather have their own, small-scale organic farm. “Switching from being an employee working in Big Ag to running your own small farm is harder than you’d think,” explained Sam as he recalled those early days. “Our whole family discussed how best to make the switch to running a small organic farm. Our biggest challenge was finding the right land.”
Finally, in 2015 the right parcel came along. “We found ten acres near Morgan Hill in Santa Clara County.” The Thorps signed a two-year lease and Spade & Plow was officially in business. Long days spent in the fields were made even longer by finding customers. Through hard work and perseverance, Spade & Plow grew, but their long-term plans were hindered by not being able to farm in the same place for longer than a couple of years at a time. Infrastructure is required to operate efficiently, thereby earning more profit for their efforts. Greenhouses were needed to germinate seeds earlier in the season for transplanting. Outbuildings were required to store tractors, implements, and fertilizers.
Several more moves were required as their short-term leases expired until they caught a very big break. The Van Dyke Farm in Gilroy grew cherries, Blenheim apricots, and various row crops organically. Betty Van Dyke and her husband were strong advocates for organically grown food. The Van Dykes had a problem; the age of their cherry and apricot orchards. “The Van Dyke Ranch had row crops and orchards, all of it certified organic,” said Sam as he recalled that fateful day. The cherry and apricot trees were past their peak production. They were trying to decide whether to rip the trees out and plant newer varieties or convert to row crops, or lease the land to someone else.” Since the Van Dyke’s and Thorp’s shared a passion for organically grown food and sustainability, that eventually led to the establishment of Spade & Plow new on Van Dyke Ranch land in 2021.
A series of renewable leases on prime Santa Clara County farmland meant Spade & Plow could grow as much as they cared to for the next two decades. Sam’s enthusiasm is very clear when he describes their new location. “Betty Van Dyke was a real trailblazer in organic farming. The soil we grow in was never used for conventional farming so the dirt is very fertile and clean.” The long-term lease made it possible for Spade & Plow to plan for growth, which meant investing in infrastructure, and equipment and expanding their crop selections. Spade & Plow’s workforce grew to twenty workers, not including the Thorp family, “It’s like an army compared to where we started!” Sam exclaimed.
The success of Spade & Plow can be traced to growing what the customers wanted. Sam explains, “We get ideas from our customers. We sell a lot to restaurants, and the chefs are always asking us if we’ve tried this or that.”
As spring slowly turns into summer, Sam described where they were in terms of planting and harvesting. “Our artichoke season is winding down and it went very well. Things are a little quieter now. The heirloom tomatoes are in the ground and we’re very excited about a couple of varieties. A chef in New York turned us onto two processed tomato varieties, Mazzano Fire and Canestrano d’ Lucca, which are excellent for making sauces, since they have lower water content. To the best of our knowledge, they’ve never been grown here before.” The Thorps also grow several varieties of cherry tomatoes, such as Brad’s Atomic Grape, Golden Cherry Wine, and Green Bee. Spade & Plow is also producing a number of heirloom tomato varieties, including Lucid Gem, Striped German, Brandywine, Amalfi, and Benevento.
“One of our most popular crops is our baby greens, which take between 21 to 36 days to grow. These include savoy spinach, red mustard (seasonal), red kale, wild arugula, and a salad mix using red oak, green tango, green oak, and lolla rosa lettuces. We also offer various squash varieties and cucumbers too.” Sam’s personal project is radicchio. “We’re currently growing two varieties of radicchio, Sugar Loaf, and Pope Alba. We also grow head lettuce year-round as well as Little Gem lettuce.”
To ensure they keep their land productive, cover crops are grown in the off-season or in between crops. Mustard and vetch are most commonly used as green fertilizers.
Spade & Plow offers its produce at the Aptos Farmers Market at Cabrillo College and the Friday Monterey Farmers Market at Del Monte Shopping Center weekly. The quality and wide selection of organic and locally grown food explain their popularity. “We can answer anyone’s questions about our fruits and vegetables. Stop by and say hello!”
