By Carol Kinsley

Adkins Farm Market in Salisbury is open for business, providing fresh produce and jarred jams, jelly and relish as well as vegetable and flower plants for your garden. 

Owners Gaylon and Tammy Adkins grow all the vegetable plants and some of the flower plants from seed. Many of the vegetable plants will be tucked into plastic row covering to grow into produce for later. Gaylon prepares the planting beds and does succession planting throughout the summer to be able to provide quality produce well into the fall. He picks vegetables every morning; his father, Fred Adkins, a 92-year-old World War II veteran, cleans them for sale. This way customers can choose from the freshest possible produce every day.

Gaylon learned to farm from his parents on their farm in Parsonsburg. Twenty-five years ago, Gaylon and Tammy began selling home-grown vegetables in front of their house in Parsonsburg. In the fall of 2006, they decided to build a market where they would sell their pumpkin crop and open a corn maze. They branched out the next spring with flowers and vegetable plants. That same year the market was relocated to 31493 Mt. Hermon Road, adjacent to the Salisbury-Wicomico Regional Airport. Since then, Adkins Farm Market has continued to expand every year to meet customers’ needs.

A full line of produce is available, from asparagus to zucchini. Squash and cucumbers are ready by late May, with peppers, tomatoes and watermelons coming in later.

Local honey is available, made by bees in 15 hives on the farm. Canned goods include pickles, beets and sweet treats made within the local region. A local goat farmer has provided lotion, soaps and bath bombs made from goat milk.

Need a gift for Mom or for your favorite gardener? You’ll find metal work, concrete statues, flags and lots of crafts to choose from.

The market also carries a large selection of bedding plants, perennials, hanging baskets and herbs, including some that are difficult to find elsewhere. 

Unsure about your planting skills? Bring your container and Tammy will help you select suitable plants and pot them for you for a minimal fee. She can also answer questions about which plants like sun or shade. Follow the water hose and Tammy is usually at the end of it, caring for her plants. Gaylon is typically behind the scenes, picking produce, making deliveries and stocking the market.

As an essential business, Adkins Farm Market remains open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and Sundays, 10 to 6. Staff members wash their hands frequently and wear masks, and ask that customers do the same when they come into the market to help keep everyone safe.

If you prefer, you may call in an order at (410) 548-1478, and it will be ready for pick up when you arrive.

Gaylon said, “We are a family-run business and strive to make your visit pleasant and enjoyable. So just come out to smell the flowers, and pick up some veggies for dinner. Or, as we like to say, ‘Come Take A Mini Vacation In The Country’.”