Greene County Farmers Markets

Few things say summer in Greene County like a Saturday morning at the farmers market — a table of just-picked tomatoes, local honey, fresh eggs, and someone's grandmother's jam, usually with live music going. Here's where to find fresh, local food around Greeneville: the markets, when they're open, what's in season, and the farms behind them.

The farmers markets

Depot Street Farmers Market

Greene County's downtown market, run as a producer-only market — meaning the people selling are the people who grew or made it. Expect local produce, baked goods, honey, jams, artisan foods, and handmade crafts, with live music on market mornings.

• When: Saturdays, 8 a.m.–noon
• Season: Roughly May through October (opening day is usually the first Saturday in May)
• Where: 115 Academy Street, at the Greene County Partnership in historic downtown Greeneville
• Good to know: Accepts SNAP/EBT and runs Double Up Food Bucks — it matches SNAP spending on fresh fruits and vegetables, up to $50 a day in bonus tokens
• More info: depotstreetfarmersmarket.com

Greeneville Farmers Market

Greeneville's oldest established market, also producers-only, set on the grounds of the historic Doak House Museum. Alongside the Saturday market it runs an online pre-order system where you can reserve from local growers during the week and pick up on Saturday.

• When: Saturdays, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.
• Season: Roughly May through October
• Where: The Doak House Museum, 690 Erwin Highway — just east of Greeneville in Tusculum (near Tusculum University)
• More info: greenevillefarmersmarket.com · online market at gfm.locallygrown.net · (423) 552-3023

Upcoming market days

Here are the next market dates on our events calendar:

Other places to buy local

Beyond the two Saturday markets, a couple of seasonal spots sell local produce during the week. Hours at these tend to shift with the season, so it's worth checking ahead before you drive out:

• Olde Greene County Farmers Exchange — a seasonal open-air market with produce, baked goods, canned goods, and crafts, generally open Tuesdays and Fridays at the Fox Park lot on South Main Street in Greeneville.
• Cloud 9 Ranch — a seasonal farm stand on Ottway Road toward Baileyton, with naturally grown fruits and vegetables, eggs, and preserves through the summer and fall.

What's in season, and when

Part of the fun of shopping local is eating with the seasons. In our corner of East Tennessee, here's roughly what to look for (timing shifts a little each year with the weather, and our mountain valleys tend to run a touch later than the rest of the state):

• Spring (April–May): asparagus, lettuce and greens, spring onions, and the first strawberries
• Early summer (June): blueberries, cherries, new potatoes, cucumbers, snap beans, and early squash
• Mid to late summer (July–August): tomatoes, sweet corn, peaches, peppers, okra, zucchini, blackberries, melons, and green beans
• Fall (September–October): apples, pumpkins, winter squash, sweet potatoes, and fall greens
• All season: local honey, eggs, jams, baked goods, and meats

A county built on farming

Greene County has deep agricultural roots. It was once one of the country's leading burley tobacco markets — a tobacco market was established in Greeneville back in 1885, and the county long led Tennessee in burley production. Tobacco has faded, but beef cattle and hay are still leading products, and that farming heritage is exactly what fills these market tables today. Both main markets are part of Tennessee's Pick Tennessee Products and the regional Appalachian Grown networks — a good sign you're buying the real, local thing.

Want to go straight to the source? Browse the local farms and agriculture businesses in our directory, or the restaurants and food makers who cook with what's grown here. New to the area? Our guide to moving to Greeneville covers the rest of the county, and the events calendar keeps up with everything happening around Greene County.