General
Are you affiliated with the owners/business of Fish Hawk Acres?
Green Acres Farm is owned by Pati and Lupe Espinosa since 2011. The business was launched when Chef Dale Hawkins from Fish Hawk Acres and his family agreed to lease his family’s farmland to launch Green Acres and to buy the produce for his & Teresa Lipps’ catering business.
Although we aren’t business partners, we support each others businesses and have been great family friends from the beginning!!!
Are your markets open during the rain?
Yes, we are generally open during rain or shine! If we are ever closed due to rain or unforeseen circumstances, we will post it on our social medias to keep you updated.
Do you have Pick-Your-Own fields?
We do not offer any Pick-Your-Own crops at this time.
Payment Forms
What forms of payment do you accept?
We accept all major credit/debit cards and cash!
We no longer accept checks due to too many bounced/bad checks we’ve received in the last few years…
Do you accept SNAP/EBT cards?
We currently do not. The Point of Sale System we currently use to accept cards do not have the capacity to process SNAP transactions. We are working on one day being able to accept SNAP/EBT cards at our markets.
Do you accept WIC vouchers?
We accept the WIC Farmers’ Market coupons/vouchers. We are not able to process WIC cards as payment at the moment.
Do you accept the West Virginia Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) Coupons/Vouchers?
We do accept the WV SFMNP vouchers at all of our everyday produce roadside stands and farmers markets we attend. However, only on all West Virginia grown and homegrown produce.
What can I get with my Senior/WIC vouchers?
According to the SFMNP guidelines, you can purchase items that were locally grown or locally sourced in WV. Eligible items vary depending on its growing season. To get an estimate of when your favorite local produce may be available to purchase with your vouchers, you can look at our GAFWV Produce Harvest Charts in the Produce tab or check with our employees working at any of our markets.
Where can I get Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition/WIC vouchers?
For SFMNP vouchers, at your local WV Senior Centers! To be eligible, you must be at least 60 years old of age and meet income guidelines.
For WIC, at your local WIC office!
Produce
Is your produce local all summer long?
It is not! Local produce just depends on its growing season. We open our markets with out-of-state produce that are just not available locally yet! With patience, all produce sold at our markets will be local! Whether it is grown at our farm or from a trusted local farm. Please refer to our GAFWV Produce Harvest Charts in the Produce tab for our estimation of when produce items will be local (not a guarantee).
Do you grow all of the produce at your farm?
In the peak of the season of locally grown produce, we grow about 85% of the produce we sell at our everyday produce roadside stands. Since we do not have orchard trees, we are not able to provide any tree fruit sold at our roadside stands. A good idea of what we grow ourselves can be found in the Produce tab!
Are the produce you take to the Once-a-Week farmers markets local?
| Yes! You will find only locally grown produce at the Bridgeport, Clarksburg, Star City, Terra Cafe & WVU Medicine Farmers Markets. Local produce items will continually be brought to the farmers markets depending on its growing season! |
Is your produce organic?
We are not certifiably organic. We are considered a conventional farm. However, we still try to use as many organic practices as possible. We grow and care for our crops and fields keeping in mind that the goal is sustainability.
Are the tomatoes hot-house or greenhouse grown?
Some of our tomatoes are greenhouse grown, not hot-house, to be able to get some tomatoes earlier in the year. However, we grow most of our tomatoes outside and will appear much later in the summer!
Is your sweet corn GMO?
Our sweet corn is NON-GMO.
Do you sell deer corn?
No!
Do you grow Silver Queen (white corn) or all yellow corn?
Generally not, we grow Peaches and Cream (yellow and white) corn! If we happen to grow Silver Queen that year, the supply and growing season is very limited.
Do you have canning tomatoes?
Yes, they’ll be available by the 25 lbs tomato box (approximately a half bushel) starting in mid-August through mid-October.
What are heirloom tomatoes?
| Heirloom tomatoes have seeds that have been passed down from generation to generation and have not changed. They generally have a shorter shelf life, but have a unique, colorful appearance and are packed full of flavor! They cost more than the round red varieties because they are fragile and difficult to grow. They are more labor intensive and must maintain specific growing practices. |
What varieties of red tomatoes do you sell?
We sell a great variety of red tomatoes. However, they are planted all together in the tomato fields and are picked all together without separation. Once distributed to the markets, the tomatoes are a mixed variety. Please refer to our list of produce plants in the Garden Plants tab to see what kind of tomatoes we grow at the farm!
*This list may not provide exactly all produce varieties we grow, but what we generally grow every year.
Do you have hot banana peppers?
Hot banana peppers we provide are Hungarian wax (mildly hot) and Infernos (very hot). We primarily sell more Hungarian wax than Infernos, but keep an eye out for Infernos as they do appear every now and then!
Can I buy in bulk?
What we offer in bulk is limited (not all produce items are available in bulk). We offer hot peppers, sweet banana peppers, bell peppers, canning tomatoes, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, and slicing tomatoes. Less occasionally, we offer green beans when available.
Other item options may be available at the time but could be limited in supply to be able to distribute between all of the markets (produces less at a time at less of a rate) or could cost more due to limited availability.
What do you do with blemished produce?
We either take it to the local food pantries or reduce the sales price in our Reduced Section separate from our other produce.
What do you do with the bad or rotten produce?
The bad or rotten produce is taken back to the farm to be composted. We do not give it away for any reason due to liability concerns. Rotten produce is not meant for consumption by humans nor any other animal and we cannot be held responsible.
How can you tell if cantaloupe and watermelon are ripe?
For cantaloupe, look for yellow/orange color and a strong cantaloupe smell from the stem. If it’s still beige/green and you cannot smell the cantaloupe from the stem, it needs a few more days to ripen!
For watermelon, knock and listen for a hollow sound, look for a yellow spot, and strong contrasting dark and light stripes on the outside.
Flowers
Do you sell perennials?
We primarily sell annuals at the moment. The only perennials we currently carry are roses and they are limited in stock.
Perennials have a shorter bloom time and come back each year.
Annuals bloom all summer, but for only one season.
Do you only sell produce plants by the 6-pack/4-pack?
Primarily yes for the pepper, tomato, and cabbage plants. We do not mix-and-match the packs of produce plants. However, we have single for the large tomato bucket plants, strawberry, squash, zucchini, cucumber, watermelon and cantaloupe plants.
What plants do best in the sun/shade/part-shade?
Please refer to our flower list in the Flowers tab to see what flowers and foliage do best in the sun/shade conditions you need!
Sun plants need direct sunlight for 6+ hours of the day.
Part sun plants need 3-4 hours of sunlight a day.
Part shade plants need 3 hours of sun or less a day.
Do you have wave petunias?
We do not, we actually carry Supertunias for trailing petunias!
How can I plant my own combination for my containers?
Plant flowers and foliage with similar sun/shade qualities. Refer to our flower list in the Flowers tab to have a better idea of what that may be.
Planting with our 4 inch pots, it is recommended:
6″-8″ containers: 3 plants
10″: 4-5 plants
12″: 5-6 plants
16″: 8-10 plants
However, if you are still not sure, we also provide a Repotting Service! To inquire about that, please contact us!
How often should I water and fertilize?
As the temperature gets hotter and the more foliage the plant has, the more often you will need to water. During the summer months, you may need to water the plants daily. Check how heavy and dry the soil is each day to determine how often you may need to water. If your hanging basket or container feels light and the soil is becoming dry, you may need to water!
To keep your flowers beautiful, we recommend to fertilize at least 1-2 times a week with Miracle Grow, or with your favorite fertilizer.