Questions? Good — ask anything.

Everything I get asked about running an online farmers market, answered as straight as I can.

Getting Started

How fast can I get my market online?

Usually within 24 hours. One manager signed up in the morning and took their first order that evening. More complex setups take two or three days.

What if I'm not a tech person?

If you can send email and shop online, you can run a LocallyGrown market. I built this for farmers and market managers, not engineers. If you get stuck, email me — I answer.

How long has LocallyGrown been around?

Since 2002. LocallyGrown.net has been powering farmers markets across North America for over twenty years — starting with the one I ran, Athens Locally Grown, and expanding from there. In 2025 I wrote the next generation of the platform from scratch so it's built to last another twenty. Read the full story →

Is there a catch? This sounds too good to be true.

No catch. I only make money when you do — start free, pay 3% on completed sales. The first $15,000 in sales is on me while you're getting established. Read the story →

Can I pause for winter or take a season off?

Yes. Many markets run seasonally. Pause anytime, restart whenever — no fees while you're closed.

Money

How does the 3% fee work?

A customer buys $100 of produce; you pay $3. Order cancelled? No fee. Market closed for a month? No fee. The 3% covers hosting, email, support, and ongoing development. Your first $15,000 in sales is free. See pricing details →

Are there any hidden fees?

No. The 3% is it. Stripe charges their standard card-processing fee (roughly 2.9% + 30¢) directly to your account for credit card payments — that's between you and Stripe, not me.

How do I pay my growers?

That's your call. LocallyGrown tracks each grower's sales so you know exactly what they've earned. Most markets pay weekly or after each pickup — whatever fits your community. Growers can see their own earnings in their dashboard, which keeps the bookkeeping honest.

How do customers pay for their orders?

However you want to accept. Credit card online (through your own Stripe account), cash at pickup, check — all supported. The 3% applies to all completed sales. Stripe adds their fee only on card payments.

Why 3% instead of free like Open Food Network?

I spent years advocating for open source tools for markets. What I kept hearing from farmers and managers was that they needed freedom from managing software — not just free software. The 3% pays for reliable hosting, someone to answer the phone, and ongoing work on the platform. More on that →

The Technical Stuff

Will my market look unique?

Your logo, your colors, your subdomain (yourmarket.locallygrown.net). Pick a theme or write custom CSS if you want. See the options →

Can people order from their phones?

Yes. Customers and growers both use LocallyGrown mostly on phones. The interface works on anything with a modern browser.

Is customer data safe?

TLS everywhere, encrypted at rest, regular off-site backups. Payments run through Stripe — I never see or store card numbers. Full security details are in the docs.

Can I export my data?

Yes, any time. Customer lists, sales reports, product history — export to CSV with one click. It's your data.

What are you building next?

I publish what I'm working on and why. Current queue: a mobile PWA, SMS notifications, and CSA subscription management. See the roadmap →

Support

Who answers my questions?

Me. Email [email protected] and it lands in my inbox — not a ticket queue, not a chatbot. I ran a market for 20 years, so I usually know what you're asking before you finish typing.

My growers aren't tech-savvy. Will they struggle?

Probably not. The grower interface is deliberately simple: list what you have this week, click a button, done. I've onboarded growers who were skeptical of computers generally, and most are listing products on their first try. How this compares to other platforms →

Do I have to install updates?

No. Updates deploy automatically. You wake up to new features and fixes — no downloads, no IT. What's coming next →

I can grow vegetables — can I grow a market?

Yes, and I'll help. I'll share what worked (and what didn't) for Athens Locally Grown, introduce you to other managers running successful markets on the platform, and answer questions as they come up.

How do you compare to other platforms?

I wrote an honest comparison against Open Food Network, Local Line, and Local Food Marketplace — including where they beat LocallyGrown. I'd rather you pick the right platform than the wrong one. See the comparison →

Still have questions?

Email me. I read every message and usually reply the same day. No question is too small.

These might help too: