Photos by Jie Deng
Text by Richard L. Gaw

Two years ago, with assistance from his wife, Molly, Alan Karp acted on his impulses and his inspiration and began carving out the landscape of what would become Little Thistle Farms.

Set in a quarter-acre plot at a horse farm in Chadds Ford, Alan has planted the seeds of which has become a bountiful supply of produce: beets, carrots, cucumbers, Swiss Chard, eggplant, sugar snap and snow peas, pole beans, peppers, watermelons, butternut and spaghetti squash, garlic, several kinds of heirloom tomatoes, radishes, herbs, pickles for hot sauces, blueberries – name the crop and chances are it’s there - and topped off with a variety of florals that light up the garden in a canopy of color.

Originally from Baltimore, Alan was introduced to farming at Kim’s Quarry Garden, a 75-acre farm in Plattsburgh, New York, where he had moved to begin a new position as a chemical engineer. During his three- and-a-half years there, he learned about sustainable agriculture, organic produce and the value of local farmers. By the time Alan accepted a new job in Philadelphia – where he met his future wife - the seeds of a larger idea had already been flourishing in his mind: To create his own garden.

“I didn’t have any background in growing, but what I learned from that experience in upstate New York was the knowledge that you can grow anything anywhere,” said Alan, whose passions also extend to yoga, cycling, hiking and cooking. “I began to see what was possible.”

The time clock of a farmer regularly includes seeing the sun rise, so it is customary to see Alan planting, tilling, watering, pruning, weeding and harvesting at the farm well before he begins his day job, and then return to the farm after work. For Alan, Little Thistle Farms is a workshop of growth and a labor of love for ethical farming.

“When you go to the grocery store, you don’t often know where your produce came from, but at Little Thistle Farms, everything is grown organically,” he said. “There is also the reward of growing things from the ground.”

A major recipient of the produce at Little Thistle Farms has been Kennett Area Community Service’s Food Cupboard, which provides food for those living in the Avon Grove, Kennett Consolidated, and Unionville-Chadds Ford School Districts and who have household incomes at or below the federal poverty level. 

“I always feel good about donating food and volunteering in general,” Alan said. “It’s a selfless act that benefits someone else. I come by the Food Cupboard with three whole milk crates filled with zucchini and squash and ask them, ‘Are you sure you want this much?’ Their response is always the same. ‘Thank you and please bring us more.’” 

Recently, Alan and Molly found a nearby kitchen space and are in the process of applying to receive a limited food establishment certification, which will open the door to new opportunities to provide food for the community through the establishment of a farm stand on their property, which is three miles away from Little Thistle Farms. They’re working with students from the Dickinson Law School at Penn State to coordinate the legal aspects of starting a business, and Alan and Molly are also developing their website and social media pages.

“We purchased a shed on our property which we project to open as a farm stand and sell vegetables and canned goods all grown on the farm, hopefully beginning next year,” Molly said. “Until then, we’ve been able to market the farm and develop sales through Instagram.”

Much like the produce and flowers that flourish in harmony within it, Little Thistle Farms is a bounty of plentitude, with many more growing seasons to come, crops to be grown and harvested and thousands of tables on which the fresh and wholesome from this small farm will be enjoyed. 

“Farming is like a full life circle,” Alan said. “You can grow something from seed to cultivation, you can eat it, you can sell it and you can give it away, but it always provides value to whoever receives it.”

To learn more about Little Thistle Farms, visit them on Facebook and on Instagram, or email Alan and Molly at [email protected].