The farmers market season kicks off this weekend in Jefferson County with three markets set to open.
Markets in De Soto and Festus are scheduled to begin operating on Saturday, and the Crystal City Famers Market is set to open Sunday.
Five other markets in Arnold, Cedar Hill, Fenton, Hillsboro and Wildwood will start operating for the season next month.
The area markets are scheduled to remain open through October giving customers plenty of opportunities to purchase locally grown produce, baked goods, handcrafted items and other goods.
The Festus Farmers Market will be the first to open, operating from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday. The market, which first started operating in October 2025, will be open every Saturday through Oct. 31.
The De Soto Farmers Market will have special hours the next two weeks, operating from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and April 25 as part of the Spring Garden Festival. The market will begin operating during its regular season hours of 8 a.m. to noon every Saturday on May 2 and will be open through Oct. 31.
The Crystal City market, which started operating in July 2025, will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. The market will be open at the same time every Sunday through Oct. 11.
Markets in Arnold and Cedar Hill will open for the season from 8 a.m. to noon on May 2, and those markets will be open through Oct. 31.
The Hillsboro Farmers Market, which is open from 3:30-6 p.m. on Wednesdays during the season, will start operating on May 13. The market will be open through Oct. 14.
The Fenton Farmers Market starts its season May 14, and it will be open from 4:30-7 p.m. on Thursdays through Sept. 24.
The Wildwood Farmers Market is the last area market to open for the season, and it is scheduled to start May 23. The market is open from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays through Oct. 3, but there will not be a market on Sept. 19 when the city holds Celebrate Wildwood.
Here is a look at what area markets have in store for this season:
Arnold
The Arnold Farmers Market will be twice as large this season.
The city has built 40 additional vendor spaces at the market, which is near the entrance of Arnold City Park at 1 Bradley Beach Road off Jeffco Boulevard near the Meramec River.
Dianne Brewer, market manager, said up to 80 vendors may be at each market, which is entering its 15thh season in Arnold.
“It is pretty amazing, and we are excited about that,” Brewer said of the additional spaces “We are looking forward to this season with the expansion.”
For more information, call 636-275-6987, email arnoldfarmersmarket@gmail.com, go to the market’s page on arnoldmo.org or its Facebook page.
Cedar Hill
The Cedar Hill Farmer and Vendor Market will be held at Big River VFW Post 5331, 1 Lynn Lane.
Market master Marilyn Enlow said she expects between 16-20 vendors selling produce, baked goods, meat, soap and handcrafted items at each market. She said the market averages about 200 customers.
Enlow said the Cedar Hill market is a hidden gem among the markets that are open on Saturdays in the area.
“We have very talented bakers and crafters,” she said. “We have a couple of the best woodworkers who I have ever seen. We have fresh, local honey. There is fresh produce every weekend.”
For information, go to the Cedar Hill Farmer and Vendor Market Facebook page.
Crystal City
The Crystal City Farmers Market started operating for the first time midway through last year’s market season, and organizer Emily Riddick said she is looking forward to the market being open for an entire season this year.
“I think being opened from the start of the season will help us catch on more,” she said. “We have grown on Facebook this winter. At the end of last season, we had about 700 followers, and we have pretty much doubled that. I think during the whole season, we will gain relationships with people, and that is that goal to provide resources and gain relationships with the community.”
Riddick said there is enough space in the Huxco Construction parking lot, 102 N. Truman Blvd., to have up to 40 vendors. She said the market averaged 200 customers a week last year.
Riddick said the market is expected to have more produce, honey, tea blends, meats, eggs and baked goods this year.
“Last year, we had a lot of craft vendors,” she said. “We are going to have some crafts, but it is going to be limited. We are focusing more on all-natural items.”
Riddick said the market will hold special events throughout the season on Sundays, such as theme days for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, grandparents, first responders, the Fourth of July and a fall festival.
She also said the market will hold three Friday night events from 5-9 p.m. on May 22, Aug. 14 and Oct. 16. She said the May event is an end of the school year celebration; the August event will have a sunset social event; and October’s event will be a trunk-or-treat.
Riddick said just being open on Sundays also helps attract customers.
“It sets us apart,” she said. “We have had a lot of people say they can’t go to markets on Saturday. We are excited to be able to offer something that otherwise people can’t go to.”
Riddick said the market’s growth will be aided by having better access to parking this season.
“This year, we are blocking off Truman (Boulevard) into the parking lot, and we will have our entrance on the Bailey (Road) side,” she said. “That way when you enter and exit, you can come from any direction. We will have signs to direct traffic.”
For information, call 636-725-6606, email farmersmarketcystalcity@gmail.com or go to the market’s Facebook page.
De Soto
The De Soto Famers Market is entering its 17th season. It is operated by Get Healthy De Soto and held at 520 N. Main St.
The first two days it is open -- Saturday and April 25 -- will feature plant sales and craft fairs, and on April 25, the annual tractor parade will be held at 10 a.m. The season officially starts in May.
The market’s theme this year is “To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow.” Market manager Morgan Sitkowski said the theme celebrates the 250th birthday of the United States, and the market’s purpose. She said the theme will be incorporated in the tractor parade and during the annual Farm to Table dinner on Sept. 12.
Sitkowski said the community garden will be used during markets this season.
“We hope to have classes and workshops throughout the season,” she said. “We do need volunteers to get everything set up. We plan to have some work days announced on our website and social media sites soon. We ask anyone interested in volunteering to reach out.”
Sitkowski said new to the market this year will be Rooted Wellness and Yoga, which will hold yoga at the market at 8 a.m. on May 30, June 13, July 25 and Aug. 15, and Wandering Greens will set up a miniature golf course at the market from 4-8 p.m. May 2 and 2-6 p.m. July 4.
“Our mission is to promote health, and physical health is part of that,” she said of having yoga and miniature golf at the market. “Eating well is important, which is why there is fresh produce, honey, baked goods, eggs and local meat, but physical health is also important.”
The market also will hold numerous special events throughout the season including community connections that will feature organizations or businesses each week promoting health through awareness and education; the chef at the market program on the first Saturday of each month; a family day on July 25 featuring a Family Olympics after the market; and literacy day on Sept. 26 featuring local authors and representatives from libraries and book stores.
Sitkowski said she hopes to have up to 30 vendors at each market this season after averaging 26 last year. She said nearly 480 customers shopped at the market each week last year.
“We are a market family, and that is how we try to run our markets,” she said. “We want to be an extension of the community.”
Sitkowski said the market is part of the USDA’s Farmers Market Nutrition Program, which provides $50 to seniors and $30 to WIC recipients each year to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at the market.
The market also features POP (Power of Produce) Club and Kids Mart programs.
POP is open to children between the ages of 4 through 12 and requires registration. The club provides activities for children during the market, and each child receives $2 to spend on produce at a market.
Kids Marts will be held on the third Saturday of every month, and it allows children between the ages of 5-16 to sell items at the market.
“I am looking forward to the season,” Sitkowski said. “We have been growing over the last couple of years. We are excited about our new programs and continuing our older programs. We want to be a resource for the community.”
For information, go to the market’s Facebook page, the Get Healthy De Soto website, gethealthydesoto.org or email market@gethealthydesoto.org.
Fenton
The Fenton Community and Farmers Market returns for another season starting on May 14 at the Meramec Greenway Pavilion in Fenton City Park, 995 Larkin Williams Road.
The market will be held from 4:30-7 p.m. every Thursday through Sept. 25. It is operated by the Fenton Parks and Recreation Department.
For information, call 636-349-8155, email farmersmarket@fentonmo.org or go to the Parks and Recreation Department page at fentonmo.org or the market’s Facebook page.
Festus
The Festus Farmers Market will be in a new location from where it debuted in the final month of last year’s market season.
The market will be near the intersection of Behring and South Third streets, and it will be open from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, starting this weekend and going through Oct. 31. The four markets that were held in October were in a parking lot at the intersection of North Adams and North Second streets.
Amy Wilson, who is a market master along with Tricia Nelson, said the market benefited from being open for a short amount of time last year, and she said the new location will help the market grow.
“Having that smaller market allowed us to work through some kinks,” Wilson said. “We changed a few things for this upcoming season.
“The new location will be more conducive to a market. We won’t be on a hot parking lot. We will be on a grassy, park-like area. We have quite a bit more space. I think it will be a better environment for everyone to shop and sell, and I think it is a better location.”
Wilson said she anticipates having up to 35 vendors each Saturday. She also said the market received up to 55 vendor applications for various weekends this season.
Wilson said the market was well received last October with more than 600 people shopping at the first market. She said up to 300 customers attended the other three markets held last year.
“I think there has been a need in this area for (a farmers market),” she said. “I know Crystal City recently started one, and they have been well received. There have been markets in surrounding towns, but Festus never had one. I used to sell at other markets. I work in the Festus area, and people would always say, ‘You should start one in Festus.’ I know it was something the community has wanted.”
Wilson said the new location is more visible and has better parking, which she said will make it easier for people who want to shop at the market. She also said she is excited about having the market open for a full season.
“We are excited for our vendors to have a great market season,” she said. “We have things we would like to do with the market in the future. If we have a good season this year, we can work toward expanding and offering more next year.”
The market is sponsored by the Festus Main Street Association.
For information, go to the Festus Farmers Market’s Facebook page or email festusfarmersmarket@gmail.com.
Hillsboro
Carmelita Davidson, the market master for the Hillsboro Farmers market, said more customers shopped at the mid-week market last year than the year before.
She said nearly 100 people came to the Bridle Ridge Acres, 200 Bridle Ridge Lane, each week in 2025, about a 33 percent increase from 2024.
“I think we will continue to grow,” Davidson said. “I think people are more healthy and nutritious food minded.”
The Hillsboro market is open from 3:30-6 p.m. on Wednesdays, starting May 13. It will be open through Oct. 14.
Davidson said there a typically up to 12 vendors each week as the start of the season, and that number dips to about eight vendors per week by mid-summer.
She said shoppers will be able to purchase fresh produce, meats, eggs, honey, herbs, soaps, jams, jellies, baked goods and homemade purses.
“We don’t have people who sell too many duplicate items because we are a small market,” she said.
Davidson said representatives from the University of Missouri Extension Office attend a few markets each year to discuss nutrition and provide advice about how to eat healthily.
She also said familiar vendors such as Ott’s Produce and Tri-Pointe Farm are expected to be at markets this year, and she said many customers continue to shop at the market year after year.
“The regular vendors and customers keep coming back,” she said. “I really like that because it means they like our market and the products.”
For information, call 636-262-0725, 314-650-3830 or the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce at 636-481-6718 or go to the market’s Facebook page.
Wildwood
The Wildwood Farmers Market, 221 Plaza Drive, is expected to have more than 30 vendors each week, market manger Natalie McAvoy said.
She also said the market is attracting more customers each year.
“We get a huge crowd,” McAvoy said. “A lot of the vendors are sold out at the end of the day. We have come a long way in the last six or seven years.”
The market is open from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. The first market will be held May 23, and it will be open through Oct. 3.
The market will not be held on Sept. 19, when the city holds its Celebrate Wildwood event.
McAvoy said vendors sell a variety of seasonal produce, pastured-raised beef, pork, chicken and eggs, mushrooms, superfood microgreens, granola, coffee, tea, cut flowers, sourdough breads, spices, dog treats, house plants, succulents and flowers.
She said artisan vendors typically sell bird houses, candles, incense, soaps, handcrafted wood products, jewelry and handmade baskets.
McAvoy also said there are numerous food options to purchase, such as breakfast sandwiches, empanadas and baked goods.
“It is wonderful,” she said of the market. “There are a lot of families, and everybody strolls in with their kids. Everyone is happy. There are a lot of kids running around. It is just an enjoyable experience.
“Everyone is getting their farm-fresh stuff. We have a lot of fun artisan vendors. There is stuff there for everyone.”
For information, go to cityofwildwood.com, the market’s Facebook page or email farmersmarket@cityofwildwood.com.
Area markets
Arnold
- Address: 2400 Bradley Beach Road
- Time: 8 a.m. to noon, Saturdays, May 2 through Oct. 31
Cedar Hill
- Address: 1 Lynn Lane
- Time: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturdays, May 2 through Oct. 31
Crystal City
- Address: 102 N. Truman Blvd.
- Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays, April 19 through Oct. 11
De Soto
- Address: 520 N. Main St.
- Time: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and April 25; 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays, May 2 through Oct. 31
Fenton
- Address: 995 Larking Williams Road
- Time: 4:30-7 p.m. Thursdays, May 14 through Sept. 24
Festus
- Address: Behring and South Third streets
- Time: 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays, April 18 through Oct. 31
Hillsboro
- Address: 200 Bridle Ridge Lane
- Time: 3:30-6 p.m. Wednesdays, May 13 through Oct. 14
Wildwood
- Address: 221 Plaza Drive
- Time: 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays, May 23 through Oct. 3 (No market on Sept. 19)