Driving quickly past Pioneer Park this week, with its torn-up grass and yards of construction fencing around trees, can make it seem like the whole park is unusable — not the site of an upcoming farmers market.

But it turns out there’s still enough space in the park at 300 South and 300 West in Salt Lake City to hold the Downtown Farmers Market this summer and fall, director Carly Gillespie says. The market, which has been running for 35 years, will kick off Saturday, and will continue every Saturday through Oct. 24 and run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

It will just look different.

Pioneer Park is undergoing $18.4 million in city-backed improvements, which will include a new playground, upgraded dog park, restrooms, pickleball and basketball courts, a fountain and a pavilion. As a result, the northern portion of the park — where much of the farmers market is usually set up — is off-limits to the public. (Construction is scheduled to wrap up in the fall.)

With the park’s north side blocked, the 2026 Downtown Farmers Market will be held along the perimeter of the park, including along 400 West, 400 South and 300 West, as well as on the athletic field in the park’s center (which has been open space at past markets). The northbound lanes of 400 West will be occupied by food vendors and blocked off to vehicular traffic. The market won’t affect the flow of traffic on 300 West and 400 South.

Gillespie said the Downtown Farmers Market still plans to build a permanent multipurpose building to house the market in Pioneer Park, but is still working through “a lot of conversations with many city departments,” so that building isn’t part of the improvements currently under construction.

Even with the space changes, Gillespie said, the number of vendors at the market this year is the same as in past years, give or take — about 300 local ranchers, farmers, food vendors, artists and crafters.

Arts and crafts vendors will set up along 400 West, along the north half of the park that borders 300 West, and in the athletic field. Farm and food booths will take up the rest of the space.

Some booths may have different offerings than usual.

Utah‘s well-known tree fruits — like peaches, cherries, apples, apricots and plums — will be scarce at the market. “Warm temperatures early in the season sped everything up two to three weeks, so when those April frosts hit, the fruit was just at a bad stage for that,” Gillespie said.

Many Utah farmers say they’ve experienced a 95% to 100% loss of their fruit crops, she said.

Some farmers whose crops weren’t as affected by storms, like Fowers Fruit Ranch in Genola, will have tree fruit available. Some farmers whose fruit trees were frozen, like Pyne Farms throughout Utah County, will have other edible items for sale. And some — like Tagge’s Famous Fruit and Veggie Farms, which has a stand along “Utah’s Famous Fruit Way” — will be selling vegetables instead of fruit.

An organic tree fruit producer in Colorado, Black Bear Peaches, will be selling peaches and cherries at the Downtown Farmers Market this year. The only reason they have fruit, Gillespie said, is they ran fans in their orchards all night through all three freezes.

(Note: Producers must be within 250 miles of the market to sell their goods there. Black Bear Peaches is 220 miles from the market, she said.)

And the freezes only affected tree fruit, so melons and berries will still be available at the market, Gillespie said.

It’s especially crucial that people support farmers this year, she said.

“They have to do all of the work except harvesting still,” Gillespie said. “They still have to get out there and prune and mow and water, and that’s still a lot of work, but with zero income, and there’s just not a lot of resources out there for them.”

One of the market’s best-known anchor businesses is leaving. Jorge Fierro, CEO of Rico Brand, announced on social media Tuesday that his Mexican food company will not have a booth at the market for the first time in 28 years.

The market is where Rico got its start, Fierro said. He said he has seen the market “as a great economic tool for entrepreneurs, farmers and people who are interested in starting their own business.”

Rico, Fierro said, is “growing in a different direction,” expanding its supermarket offerings in neighboring states. Fierro said he would continue to serve on the market’s advisory board. (Fierro is a former member of The Salt Lake Tribune’s board of directors.)

The market also will change some of its parking availability. While 300 South will be open to parking, there won’t be any parking along the sides of Pioneer Park that border 400 West, 400 South and 300 West.

Joshua Jones, director of communications and marketing for the Downtown Farmers Market, said, “People just need to be patient the first couple weeks as they relearn how to get there.”

“There might be a little more walking this year,” Gillespie said.

There will be live music weekly, like at past markets, but the beer garden will be happening only on certain weeks “because of the constrained space,” she said.

New prepared-food vendors at the market this year will include Fancy Burger (“the Rolls-Royce of burgers,” their Instagram says), Kin Kao Thai (authentic Thai street food), Los Cipotes (Salvadoran pupusas), Olive’s Oasis (halal Mediterranean food) and The Happy Chick (gluten-free fried chicken).

Even with the changes, Gillespie said, this year’s Downtown Farmers Market “will be the market that people know and love.”

More farmers markets this summer

Summer brings out farmers and vendors all over Utah. Here’s a list of farmers markets planned in Salt Lake County and across the state.

Salt Lake County

9th West Farmers Market • Jordan Park (near the International Peace Gardens), 1060 S. 900 West, Salt Lake City. Sundays, mid-June to mid-October, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This is the final year for this market.

Central 9th Farmers Market • On Jefferson Street in front of Central 9th Market, at 161 W. 900 South, Salt Lake City. June 25, July 9 & 23, Aug. 6th & 20, and Sept. 3 & 17, 5-7 p.m. This market will offer produce only. Central 9th Market will be open to sell food.

Daybreak Farmers Market • 11274 S. Kestrel Rise Rd., South Jordan. Saturdays, June 13 to Oct. 17, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Millcreek Farmers Market • Millcreek Common, 1354 E. Chambers Ave., Millcreek. Friday evenings, July 10 to Oct. 30.

New Roots Saturday Market • New Roots Redwood Farm, 3005 Lester St., West Valley City. Saturdays, June 13 to Oct. 17, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

New Roots Wednesday Market • New Roots Redwood Farm, 3005 Lester St., West Valley City. Wednesdays, June 17 to Oct. 7, 4 to 7 p.m.

Sandy City Farmers Market • Sandy Amphitheater Park, 1300 E. 9400 South, Sandy. Saturdays, June 6 to Oct. 17, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Sugarhood Farmers Market • Parking lot of Fiddler’s, 1063 E. 2100 South, Salt Lake City. Sundays, June 28, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sunnyvale Farmers Market • Sunnyvale Park, 4013 S. 700 West, Salt Lake City. Saturdays, June 19 to Oct. 16, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Utah Farm Bureau Farmers Market—Murray • Murray Park, 296 E. Murray Park Way, Murray. Fridays and Saturdays, July 31 to Oct. 31, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Utah Farm Bureau Farmers Market—South Jordan • 1600 Towne Center Drive, South Jordan. Saturdays, Aug. 9 to Oct. 10, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

West Valley City Farmers Market • Centennial Park, 5405 W. 3100 South, West Valley City. Thursdays, June 25 to Oct. 8, 5 to 9 p.m.

Wheeler Historic Farm Farmers Market • Wheeler Historic Farm, 6351 S. 900 East, Salt Lake City. Sundays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Beaver County

Beaver Farmers Market • Main Street Park, 20 S. Main St., Beaver. Saturdays through Oct. 30, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Box Elder County

Bear River City Farmers Market • City Park, 5900 N. 4600 West, Bear River City. Second Saturday of the month, June through October, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Davis County

Bountiful Farmers Market • Bountiful Town Square, 200 S. 100 East, Bountiful. Thursdays, June 25 to Oct. 15, 4 to 8 p.m.

Iron County

Festival City Farmers Market • 100 W. University Blvd., Cedar City. Saturdays, now through October, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Juab County

Nephi Farmers Market • Nephi City Park, 50 E. 600 North, Nephi. Saturdays, June 6 through Oct. 24, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Rich County

Bear Lake Valley Farmers Market • Conestoga Ranch, 427 N. Paradise Parkway, Garden City. Friday afternoons, June 5 to Sept. 11.

Summit County

Park Silly Sunday Market • Main Street, Park City. Sundays in June, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Utah County

Provo Farmers Market • Pioneer Park, 500 W. Center St., Provo. Saturdays, June 6 through Sept. 26, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Oct. 3 to 31, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Washington County

Downtown Farmers Market • Vernon Worthen Park, 300 S. 400 East, St. George. Saturdays, now through October, 8 a.m. to noon; winter market hours, November through April (closed in January) are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Hurricane Utah Farmers Market • Hurricane City Leisure & Recreation, 63 S. 100 West, Hurricane. Saturdays, now through November, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Wayne County

Capitol Reef Farmers Market • 100 N. 75 East, Torrey. Saturdays through Oct. 17 (except July 4), 3 to 5 p.m.

Weber County

Farmers Market Ogden • Historic 25th Street, 25th St. and Grant Ave., Ogden. Summer market runs Saturdays, now through Sept. 12, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fall market runs Saturdays, Sept. 20 to Oct. 18, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Historic Monastery Farmers Market • The White Barn Farm at McFarland Family Farms, 719 S. 6300 East, Huntsville. Saturdays in July and August, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Note to readers • Tribune deputy enterprise editor Sean P. Means contributed to this story.