Southern Towers Farmers Market

My favorite farmer’s market in Alexandria! It’s a nice walk down the street from me, open later in the day so I can sleep in, and very down to earth with samples from the guy who runs the place, and baked goods from local people (rum cake!). Lots of produce for only $ 2, I usually spend about $ 10 on essentials, which are significantly cheaper at a farmers market (potatoes, onions, greens, peppers, and apples). Also if you’re into that coconut water craze one of the guys will open up a fresh green coconut for you with his machete, straw included!
Also, shout out to the baked goods lady today. Those raspberry crumb bars were EVERYTHING and although I intended to save one for my partner, I gobbled it on the way home. I recently moved away from home and am a couple hundred miles away from fam, so I really felt the love (and butter!) in your baked goods.
Eagerly waiting for pie season. Let there be pie!

I don’t know anywhere else-​including grocery stores-​where you can find such reasonable prices for fresh ingredients.
I just bought mustard greens, cauliflower, limes, lemons, nectarines, apples, celery, turnips, onions, and oranges for LESS THAN $ 20.
This market is also open longer hours and has more parking available than most in the area. Highly recommend checking it out if you’re looking for fresh and you don’t want to pay hipster prices.

My husband and I have been coming here for the past two years thanks to the recommendation of our son and daughter-​in-​law. We absolutely love all the fresh produce. The vegetable and fruit selections are vast. What makes this place unique and special is the customer service… the owner is always available to give you cooking tips and there is always something tasty to sample. I’ve tried a few of his recipes and have never been disappointed. The product is always fresh and very affordably priced. This is definitely our go-​to farmers market for fresh, quality fruits and vegetables.

Mixed feelings about this place. Can’t beat the convenience compared to where I live but I know for a fact that I can get better quality and better prices elsewhere. I tend to get better prices at Aldi’s supermarket and at Giant where there is a sale. I also find that the items I buy here aren’t cheaper (often times more expensive) AND they go bad faster, like they’re already at the end of their shelf life by the time they reach this stand. Also, it’s not a true farmers market, just an entrepreneur of sorts with his own business. Thanks for the convenience but when I’m at the store, I get what I need as I never know if they’ll have it at the market, at what price and what quality.

I’ve been going to this place for more than year already. Great selection of fruits and vegetables which are fairly priced. They also have a good selection of amish produce and seasonal produce from farmers.

Great experience, though it’s not clear how it operates.
When you arrive you can grab either a box, bag or basket (they have them laying around so find them!) and place your items in there. Then go to the tables to pay — they take cards!
The prices are good and so is the selection. It’s a bit small, but it’s a great experience.

I have lived at Southern Towers for 11mths and finally during my last month did I decide to go here with my friend and boy am I mad that I didn’t go sooner! This place is so awesome price wise and selection. The main guy is so nice and lets you try out any of the sauces to make sure you love what you buy and he is so invested with the product, the passion shows. He sold me on zucchini spread (which I never was a fan of), one taste and my whole life was changed. Now I go back every weekend because I destroy it so quickly!
They have veggies, fruit, spreads, pies, cakes, and cookies, even home made root beer, eggs, and other dairy products. I never have paid more than $ 20 and I get a great amount for it.
Don’t sleep on this place, go go go!

Save $$$. Buy fruits & veggies here on the weekends instead of at the grocery. Not technically a «farmers market» but a way good deal!

—Owner doesn’t bother telling buyers or even posting that he charges $.50 when one uses a credit card to purchase items.
—Twice two of us (anglos) have been in line to check out and the two men checking out motioned two people behind us in the same line to check out at the table instead of calling us. Was it any coincidence that the people collecting the money were the same ethnic group (not anglos) as the two people whom they motioned to cut in front of us to check out? I stopped using the market in 2014 after these two incidents (and had only used the market one other time this year).
—Last year I used the market three times during which only one person was seemingly available for checking out the line of 14, 9, 10 people. Poor. So I stopped going to the market until May 2014.
—Some of the produce prices are the same or even higher than local stores — one just needs to know the ads/​prices at local stores.

They take debit cards!!! ^_​^ this place is all of 9 minutes from me and for $ 30, I got a box full of fruits and veggies. It’s great! Bag of apples, bag of green peppers, huge bag of grapes, strawberries, raspberries, 2 avocados, a mango, bag of carrots, beets! I’m a student so this helps me stay healthy and on budget. Definitely going to be one of my routines every weekend. If you’re around, check it out!

Another perfect day at the market. Kale, romaine lettuce, ginger root, 4 pints of strawberries, blueberries, plums, apples, bananas, plantain, broccoli, yams, green onions, rosemary, tomatoes = $ 37!!! Pretty much just need milk, eggs, and OJ from the grocery store. Love this place!

Making lifestyle changes and eating better can be so expensive…
I happened to be in the area a few weeks ago and stumbled upon the market. At first I was a little apprehensive because like some have mentioned it’s basically a guy with a few trucks selling produce out the back.
My mood quickly changed once I saw the quality of the produce and the prices! Cartons of strawberries 2 for $ 3, perfect blood oranges for 3 for $ 1.75, bright red peppers 3 for $ 2. As you can tell even weeks later I’m excited by the prices lol because I remembered them. The produce was all fresh and delicious once I took it home and cut it up. I will definitely return.
If I lived closer I would be there every weekend. It’s a must to check it out if you are or will be in the area.

If you are low income, a student, a retiree, a family, or just looking for cheap fruit, I recommend stopping by at some point. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised how much money it will save you on produce. I know I was :)
My boyfriend and I moved to Alexandria from Richmond last July and have been adjusting to the cost of living ever since. I’m currently in graduate school and we only have one job between us, so we’ve had to get creative. We drove by this market a couple of times before finally stopping randomly one weekend and left absolutely ecstatic about our purchases. By shopping at this wellness market we have cut our produce costs in half and increased our intake of fruits and vegetables.
We live within walking distance of this market (though not in southern towers), so today I decided to walk over to do my shopping. Even in the 35 degree weather it was wonderful. For $ 17.50 I got cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, a zucchini, a shallot, a bag of Roma tomatoes, 2 apples, 2 grapefruit, bananas, organic strawberries (for $ 2!) and cage free eggs. Even at Trader Joes, our favorite and cheapest grocery store in the area, I feel like we would have paid more for this purchase.
Important things to understand about this market. IT IS NOT A FARMER’S MARKET. It is a wellness market. At a farmers market you have a selection of fresh, local, and often organic produce from different farmers. Where as at a wellness market you will often find the same type of produce you would in a normal grocery store. The difference between the grocery store and the wellness market is the price. As mentioned in other reviews, the man who runs this market is NOT a farmer. He has connections to distributors allowing him to sell this produce at a much lower price. You may still find some organic or local products that are offered, but they will be limited.
I personally prefer to shop at farmers markets where I feel good about buying fresh local produce directly from farmers; however, I currently can not afford to buy all of my produce this way. Until then, I’d rather pay the least for the most amount of produce. If that’s what you’re looking for then give it a try one weekend! The selection is great (even in the winter) and the staff is super hard working and friendly. The market is open on Saturday and Sunday, located at the corner of Seminary and Beauregard. They accept cash or cards.
To the people who run this market, I wrote this for you to show our support and appreciation. We LOVE you guys! Keep up the great work :) We’ll see you next weekend.

It never ceases to amaze me. Every time I buy peanuts, I’m not sure if they’ve been roasted or they’re are raw. Today, they are raw, and I’m irritated. I’ve mentioned this to them, and they’re like «okay, we need to do something about that.» Well, they haven’t. How hard is it to label them «Raw,» and «Roasted?» How hard? I might pick up some bananas, or oranges, but nothing much else.

Wow. I didn’t think there’d be a review on this place already but glad to see it. For me, this place is special for the simple fact that they have coconuts! I’m talking the real kind from the tropics, not those weak young cocos from Thailand that they sell at Whole Paychecks (oops, I mean Whole Foods :)
Anyway, for $ 4 you can have yourself a big green coconut and the guy will hack it with a machete so that you can sip coconut water from the hole he cuts in the top. He also has straws on hand to make it easier to drink. When you’re done drinking the coco water you can hand him the coconut so he can cut it down in half so that you can access the coconut meat inside which is delicious!
This is the only place I’ve found in the area with real coconuts from the tropics. I’ll be coming here every weekend so long as I’m in town to get my fix!

This isn’t a farmers market. Just a dude with a huge truck and produce. He’s there every weekend, sun up to sun down. You can find some great deals. Don’t be like me and go around 7pm on a Sunday and pick through the leftovers. I noticed on the weekends my mother visits and wakes up at the crack of dawn to «shop», the truck has a bigger variety to choose from and better selection.

This is really a farm stand (single vendor) not a farm market. That said, it is awesome. The guy who runs it also owns a smoothie chain, and he seems to have great access to tropical fruit and veg at excellent prices.
My box today includes a bag of oranges, bag of grapefruit, mangos, bananas, garlic, zucchini, fennel, sweet potatoes, blueberries and strawberries. The $ 24 I spent would have easily been twice that at WFM or Giant.
The owner and staff are friendly and quick to offer samples or advice. Open Saturday and Sunday, and it has entered my weekly rotation of great food spots.

Yes they do accept credit/​debit cards. They said they close at 6pm
Fruits are of course cheaper than grocery stores. I dont think it is really organic but who knows. I enjoyed my fruit shopping here. Not a lot of options but it is still good to have a farmers market.

Curiosity finally got the better of me today. For the last few weeks as I rode up and down Seminary Rd I’ve seen the big yellow signs heralding the new farmer’s market and seen the trucks and the boxes of produce as I passed on Saturdays and Sundays. Coming back from my workout this morning, I decided to stop and check the place out since its still going to be a month before the West End farmer’s market returns.
Oh boy oh boy am I glad I stopped — and I’m going to be back. Fresh fruit and vegetables is a major percentage of my weekly shopping trip and for a sawbuck I picked up 90% of what I would have normally scooped up at Giant for substantially more — and what I got was better quality and the staff was very friendly. Prices are about 30% below what you’ll pay at the grocery (and more for some items) and about 20% below what I’ve seen at other area farmer’s markets.
This place reminded me SOOOOO much of Haymarket back in Boston where I’d do my produce shopping every week. You should know, this is nothing like the yuppified versions many farmer’s markets have become. This is a produce vendor who shows up with his trucks, his crew unloads the boxes and crates of vibrate colors onto the asphalt and boom — the market is open. No fancy awings, no jewelry and craft vendors, no jellies, jams or artisan breads. Just good, fresh produce at honest prices.
The way it works is you come — pick up a yellow grocery basket (a laminated slip with the prices of everything is attached) and just start walking up and down the aisles of boxes. You can get a wide variety of items from champagne mangos to white coconuts, vine ripe tomatoes to early season corn with fat juicy kernels (not that scrawny stuff they have in the grocery stores). Some items are individually priced, others are by the bag — a few items, like limes, are available as both. The owner was there among the shoppers, quick with his knife to offer sample bites of various items. I suggest you bring a reusable shopping bag, but as I had stopped on a whim, one of the staff found me an empty box perfect for the amount of items in my basket. I only saw cash changing hands and no set up for a credit card so I’d come prepared with the green stuff.
Among the items I picked up for my $ 10 — a head of cauliflower, a sleeve of garlic blubs, 2 huge hass avocados, some scallions, on the vine grape tomatoes, ears of corn and number of other items. Roughly calculated, I saved about $ 25 all together. I’ll be interested to see how the selection changes with the seasons and certainly hope its a successful venture for them as I’m certainly going to be back, probably weekly. And I love it they set up during «normal» weekend hours — not crack of dawn when I’m still admiring my pillow. :-)