When Do Farmers Markets Open in Iowa?

From 26 season statements in public registers and market websites · Data as of October 16, 2026

• Opening and closing months
• First markets to open in spring
• Markets open into November and December
• Winter-season markets
• Year-round markets
• Every Iowa market with a published season
• Where these dates come from

Opening and closing months in Iowa

May and June account for 65% of season openings in Iowa. Of the 22 main seasons (spring to autumn), 10 close by the end of September and 1 stays open into November or December. In December 3 dated seasons are still running, and 3 in January, not counting year-round markets.

"Dated seasons running" counts the seasons that include at least part of the month; add the 3 year-round markets for every month. A month-only season ("May through October") counts for the whole of both months.

First markets to open in spring in Iowa

The earliest main-season openings on file from March on, by stated opening date. Where the source gives only a month, the month is shown.

• Ames Main Street Farmers' Market Ames
  May – September · Sat (market website, read 2026-10-13)
• Iowa City Farmers Market Iowa City
  May – October · Sat (market website, read 2026-10-13)
• Maxwell's Market in the Park Maxwell
  May – September · Sun (market website, read 2026-10-13)
• Muscatine Area Farmers Market Muscatine
  May – October · Sat (market website, read 2026-10-13)
• The Local Market, LLC Calamus
  May – September · Wed (market website, read 2026-10-13)
• Waterloo Urban Farmers Market Waterloo
  May – Oct 8 · Sat (market website, read 2026-10-13)
• Waverly Farmers Market Waverly
  May – October · Sat (market website, read 2026-10-13)
• Madison County Farmers Market Winterset
  May 9 – Oct 3 · Sat (market website, read 2026-10-13)

Every Iowa market with a published season (26)

Sorted by opening date, with winter seasons last. The days are the market days the same source gives. Seasons shift by a few days from year to year, so check the market's own site before a first visit.

Where these dates come from

Each season above is read from the text a source publishes: the markets' own websites. We take the dates as written ("May 16 – October 10", "June through October") and do not estimate missing ones; a register older than 2023, or website text we could not tie to the current season, is left out. A register's dates describe the season of the year it was published, which the source line gives.

• Market websites: 26

More on how listings are built is in the methodology. If a date here is wrong or out of date, send a correction.

Related

• Farmers markets in Iowa
• Iowa farmers markets open today
• Farmers market season across the United States
• Winter and indoor farmers markets