Looking for farmers markets in New York? New York has an outstanding farmers-market network, anchored by the famous Union Square Greenmarket and dozens of markets across the five boroughs. This local guide covers New York’s farmers markets, what to buy, when to go by season, and how to find the freshest, most current details from people who shop them every week.

New York’s farmers markets

The Union Square Greenmarket is the flagship — a legendary, nationally famous market open multiple days a week — and GrowNYC’s Greenmarkets run dozens of markets across all five boroughs, bringing regional New York and New Jersey farms to neighborhoods citywide.

What to buy at New York farmers markets

Expect regional produce from the Hudson Valley and New Jersey, apples and stone fruit, heirloom tomatoes and greens, artisan cheeses and breads, maple syrup, honey, flowers, and prepared foods — plus specialty items at the big Union Square market.

Seasons & when to go

Most markets run seasonally (peaking summer through fall with tomatoes, corn, and apples), but the flagship Union Square Greenmarket operates year-round, a rare treat even in winter. To pair a market run with a walk, see our guide to the best parks in New York.

What to know about New York farmers markets

The subway makes market-hopping easy across all boroughs. Union Square is the must-visit flagship (year-round); every neighborhood has its own Greenmarket. Go early for the best selection; bring a bag.

What New York locals recommend

Market days, seasonal hours, and the best vendors change constantly — and locals know which stalls are worth the trip. On Neighborhood Nurturers’ New York community, real New York neighbors share their favorite markets and vendors, and what’s in season right now. For more, see our guide to the best things to do in New York. Join your New York neighbors free and get real local market recommendations →

Getting the most out of New York

Each market has its own rhythm, vendors, and best-early hours worth learning. If you are planning a morning at the market in New York, it helps to build it around the parts of town you already love. Spots like Central Park and the High Line anchor the areas locals gravitate to, and the best plans tend to pair one of those with a stop from this guide. Neighbors also point to the Staten Island Ferry when they want something a little quieter or off the usual path. Knowing those anchors makes it far easier to line up a morning at the market that actually fits the day you have in mind, whether you have a couple of free hours or a whole afternoon in New York.

More New York guides worth bookmarking

Part of what makes New York rewarding is how much it packs into a small footprint. If you found this useful, these companion guides cover the same neighborhoods from different angles: Best restaurants in New York, Things to do in New York, Parks in New York. Between them you can plan an entire day — or an entire weekend — without ever leaving town.

Ask a New York neighbor first

Guides get you started, but the freshest tips always come from people who live here. Hours change, new spots open, and locals know which places are worth it right now. The New York community on Neighborhood Nurturers is where residents swap honest, current recommendations — ask New York neighbors what they would do, or join your town community free and get answers from real people who actually know New York.

Union Square Greenmarket — the flagship

The Union Square Greenmarket is the biggest and most important farmers market in New York, and it runs year-round on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 8am to 6pm.

It was founded in 1976 with seven farmers. It now hosts around 140 regional farmers, fishers and bakers across its four days. It is managed by GrowNYC, a nonprofit founded in 1970.

Two practical points. First, Saturday is the big day — the fullest range of vendors and by far the largest crowd. Monday and Wednesday are considerably calmer and better for actually talking to a grower. Second, it runs through winter, which surprises people: the range narrows to roots, brassicas, storage apples, cheese, meat and bread, but the market is there in January.

This is also where a great many New York restaurant kitchens shop, which is the best endorsement a market can have.

Smorgasburg — the food market, not a farmers market

Smorgasburg Williamsburg is the largest weekly open-air food market in America, launched in May 2011. In Williamsburg it runs Saturdays, 11am to 6pm, at Marsha P. Johnson State Park, 90 Kent Ave, on the waterfront facing Manhattan.

It is worth being clear about the difference: this is prepared food from dozens of vendors, not produce to take home. You go to Smorgasburg to eat lunch; you go to Union Square to buy dinner. Confusing the two is the most common mistake people make with New York markets.

⚠️ The park was formerly East River State Park and many listings still say so. Search the current name.

Brooklyn Flea — vintage rather than food

Brooklyn Flea DUMBO runs under the Manhattan Bridge Archway at 80 Pearl St, Saturdays and Sundays 10am to 5pm, April through December, with 40-plus vendors selling antiques, vintage clothing, handmade jewellery, collectibles and some food.

The archway is a covered vaulted space directly beneath the bridge, so light rain does not cancel it. It does not run in winter.

Neighborhood markets

Beyond the flagship, GrowNYC runs Greenmarkets across all five boroughs, and most neighborhoods have one on at least one day a week. The Upper West Side and Queens markets are among the most searched, and Sunday markets exist across the city.

We are deliberately not publishing a day-by-day list of every neighborhood market. Market days, sites and seasons change year to year — a market moves a block, loses a day, or shifts its season — and a stale schedule sends you to an empty pavement on a cold morning. That is exactly the failure a guide should prevent.

What is reliably true: nearly every New York neighborhood has a market within walking distance on at least one day, most run in the morning through early afternoon, and the smaller ones are considerably better for talking to growers than Union Square on a Saturday. For which day yours runs this season, ask neighbors — that answer updates faster than any listing.

How to shop a New York market properly

Go early, or go at the end. Early gets the full range and the shortest queues. The last hour sometimes brings better prices on what a vendor would rather not cart home, but the selection is whatever survived. The middle is the worst of both.

Walk the whole market first. This is the discipline that separates people who shop markets well from people who spend twice as much at the first stall. Two vendors selling the same crop at different prices and different quality is entirely normal.

Bring your own bags, and more than you think. Market produce is heavier and more awkward than a supermarket shop because nothing is packaged for carrying, and you will be on a subway.

Bring cash as well as a card. Most vendors take cards now; the one that does not is invariably the one with the thing you want.

Talk to the growers. The whole advantage of a market over a shop is that the person selling the tomatoes knows when they were picked and what to do with them. That information is free.

What is in season in New York

The Northeast growing season shapes what is worth buying, and knowing the shape makes the market far more rewarding.

Spring brings ramps, asparagus, rhubarb, greens and the first strawberries — the strawberry window is short and local ones are nothing like the supermarket version.

Summer is the peak: corn, tomatoes, peaches, plums, peppers, beans, melons. August at Union Square is the single best market day of the year.

Autumn brings apples in real variety, squash, roots, brassicas and cider. The weather is at its most pleasant for standing outdoors.

Winter is when people wrongly assume the market closes. Union Square runs year-round: storage crops, roots, cabbages, apples, plus cheese, meat, eggs and bread. Fewer stalls, no queues, and the growers have time to talk.

Making a morning of it

Saturday in Manhattan: Union Square Greenmarket from 8am while it is quiet, then walk the Chelsea side of town or the High Line.

Saturday in Brooklyn: Smorgasburg at 11am for lunch on the Williamsburg waterfront, then east into Williamsburg proper.

Weekend in DUMBO: Brooklyn Flea under the archway from 10am, then the waterfront and the bridge view.

Any day: Zabar’s at 2245 Broadway, open 8am to 7:30pm Monday to Saturday, is not a market but is the best single food shop in the city, and two blocks from Central Park.

Frequently asked questions

Where are the farmers markets in New York City?

The famous Union Square Greenmarket (open multiple days, year-round) is the flagship, plus dozens of GrowNYC Greenmarkets across all five boroughs.

What is sold at New York farmers markets?

Regional Hudson Valley and New Jersey produce, apples and stone fruit, heirloom tomatoes, artisan cheeses and breads, maple syrup, honey, flowers, and prepared foods.

What do locals recommend at New York markets?

NYC neighbors share their favorite neighborhood Greenmarkets, vendors, and seasonal picks in our community.