Farmers Markets, Grocery Stores, and Community Gardens

Beyond just eating at restaurants, there are also many ways to buy food that is locally-grown, fresh, and organic. Farmers markets give smaller farmers and shops great opportunities to showcase their products at their freshest during the peak of the season. Additionally, they are a wonderful community event in which many people congregate to buy their weekly produce, listen to live music (such as at the Union Square Farmers Market), and interact directly with the people or the source of their food. Certain grocery stores also continue the same tradition; a better solution when farmers markets are not in season. For instance, Harvest Co-op is a grocery store cooperative focused on bringing in fresh produce and goods but also working in a democratic, equal system. Not everyone has to be a consumer, because community gardens are very popular. On Wellesley campus, we have Regeneration, whose members grow fruits, vegetables, and flowers together on a shared plot of land and sell what they harvest to Wellesley’s cooperatives. There are also many other community gardens around the area, as listed below.

Farmers Markets

Central Square Farmers Market

Bishop Allen Drive & Norfolk Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
MBTA: Central Square (red line)
May-November, Mondays: 12 PM – 6 PM

Copley Square Farmers Market

Boylston Street & Dartmouth Street, Boston, MA 02116
MBTA: Copley (green line)
May-November, Fridays: 11 AM – 6 PM

Davis Square Farmers Market

Day Street & Herbert Street, Somerville, MA 02143
MBTA: Davis Square (red line)
May-November: Wednesdays: 12 PM – 6PM

The Farmers Market at Harvard

Corner of Oxford and Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA 02238
MBTA: Harvard Square (red line)
June-October, Tuesdays: 12 PM – 6 PM

Jamaica Plains Farmers Market

Bank of America Parking Lot, 677 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
MBTA: Green Street (orange line)
June-November, Tuesdays: 12 PM – 5 PM and Saturdays: 12 PM – 3 PM

Somerville Winter Farmers Market:

Center for the Arts at the Armory
191 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143
MBTA: Porter Square (red line)
November-June: Saturdays: 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM
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Union Square Farmers Market

Washington Street & Prospect Street, Somerville, MA 02143
MBTA: Harvard Square (red line), then Quincy St at Kirkland St bus towards Sullivan Station
June-November, Saturdays: 9 AM – 1PM

Wellesley Farmers Market

Whole Foods Market Parking Lot, 442 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA 02482
May-October: Thursdays, 2 PM – 6PM
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Grocery Stores

Boston Organics (Home Delivery)

617.242.1700
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Five Seventy Market

570 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02118  (857.362.7525)
MBTA: Back Bay (orange line)
M-F: 6 AM – 10:30 PM
Sat-Sun: 7 AM – 10:30 PM
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Formaggio Kitchen

244 Huron Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138 (617.354.4750)
M-F: 9 AM – 7 PM
Sat: 9 AM – 6 PM
Sun: 10 AM – 4 PM
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Harvest Co-op

580 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139 (617.661.1580)
MBTA: Central Square (red line)
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57 S Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 (617.524.1667)
MBTA: Green Street (orange line)
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M-Sat: 7 AM – 10 PM
S: 7 AM – 9 PM

Community Gardens

Growing a micro-garden in your own house or creating a small garden during spring and summer are great ways to get fresh vegetables and fruits without leaving your own home. In addition, friends and neighbors who have their own gardens or may be interested in creating ones can lead to great opportunities to trade different produce with each other. An even broader community effort is also possible with community gardens. Wellesley College has its own organization, Regeneration, focused on working together to harvest fresh produce for the Sustainability Cooperative and other cooperatives on campus. Off-campus, there is a number of community farms that provide the produce for farmers markets and grocery stores.

Wellesley College: Regeneration

Farm Stand Fridays, 11 AM – 2 PM at the Leaky Beaker (Science Center)
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The Neighborhood Farm (Needham)

This is a wonderful way to work together with the community to provide fresh vegetables and fruits. Homeowners around Needham provide a portion of their yard to the growers of The Neighborhood Farm. The produce will be sold at farmers markets and part of what is harvest is given to the homeowners.

Higher Ground Farm (Boston rooftop farming)

Here community gardens are on top of leased rooftops, which is an imaginative and great way to demonstrate the practicality and ease of having a garden despite a smaller piece of area. They also offer great ideas, tips, and information on why having a rooftop garden is sustainable and beneficial to the building itself.

Green City Growers

Their purpose is to utilize any unused space in Boston to grow and sustain a raised-bed garden. They have created ones by businesses and helped homeowners create their own garden. In addition to reusing vacant pieces of land around Boston for a much better purpose, they provide education and support on community gardens.