On the first day of spring, the Athens Farmers Market Vendors move their booths outside
With the first day of spring, Athens Farmers Market will be celebrating with a little movement.
The Athens Farmer’s Market vendors that stayed inside the Market on East State for the winter will move back outside Saturday.
While 15 to 18 vendors remain outside during the winter, around 20 vendors typically move inside, according to Kip Parker, manager of the market.
Parker said though customer turnout may not be as high as the peak months of September and October, dedicated customers still braved the cold to shop at the market.
“We have a loyal crowd who comes,” Parker said. “You see a lot of the same people every week no matter what the season is.”
Parker said the winter went mostly as expected, although a few bigger vendors had issues with greenhouses.
“When it’s real cold here, things don’t grow even in a greenhouse that much when it’s below zero,” Parker said. “They didn’t have as much lettuce as they normally would have, but it just sells out a little faster.”
Produce vendors who would be negatively affected by the cold generally grow year-round in high tunnels, or tunnels that use solar radiation to heat up plants and allow them to grow during seasons they would normally be unable to in normal conditions, Parker said.
Lettuce, kale, spinach, arugula and carrots are a few of the plants market vendors grow using this method.
Another option for vendors is storing products to be sold in the winter and the following months, until they are able to grow and sell spring produce again.
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“We store a large amount of root crops and squash so we can sell them throughout the winter,” said Richard Vest, who has attended the market for over nine years with Vest Berries and Produce. “Once spring hits — the April, May timeframe — we start getting into the fresh fruits and vegetables that are coming straight out of the field.
Becky Rondy, who has sold at the market for 10 years with Green Edge Organic Gardens, said she was ready to move back outside this Saturday.
“It’s much nicer to be outside than inside,” Rondy said. “For us, because we have a larger space, I’m looking forward to being able to spread our goods out. It’s kind of cramped inside.”
Rondy said indoor vendors are given 10 feet of space to set up a stall, while outside vendors are given either 15 feet for a “half” stall or 20 feet for a “double.”
The Athens Farmer’s Market has recently been searching for a new permanent location to house the market, as the current location does not allocate enough space for every vendor who wishes to participate.
Parker said that although they are working on receiving grants to move, they have not made any significant progress.
“It’s going to be a long and slow process,” he said.
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