The Saskatoon Farmers Market has come a long way since its humble roots in 1975 as a small cooperative created to help bring farmers and their produce to city folk.

Today, the Farmers Market is a Saskatoon institution - not only a great place to buy everything from produce to plants to crafts to baking to ethnic food, but a gathering place for locals and tourists alike.

The first trial market was held in the spring of 1974 with less than 10 vendors in the Co-op Parkade, which has since burnt down. From that point on, those involved lobbied the city to find a decent market location. "Despite the inclement weather the first time, people never gave up . . . The producers were enthusiastic."

In 1975, the provincial government, through the Department of Agriculture, began offering a $1,000 grant to help communities start farmers' markets. The Saskatoon group who had already done the groundwork for the market took advantage of this program to hire a coordinator and to really get things going. Thus was the beginning of the Saskatoon Farmers Market, called in its early years the Toad Lane Market. The "Make it, Bake it, Grow it" motto was instituted which is still adhered to today. The city provided a location to hold markets in the City Hall parking lot.

A winter market was initiated in 1977 in the Sinclair Centre, although it was more of a flea market than a farmers' market. The winter markets posed a dilemma in finding a new location for the market yearly until it moved to the Sturdy Stone Centre in 1987.

The first summer satellite location, a Thursday market, was started in the Westgate Plaza parking lot beginning at the end of June 1978. It was moved to the Confederation Park Mall area in 1979 where it continued until 1999. In May 2000, the market changed its Thursday location to the north end of the city on 51st Street.

On August 18, 1980, the market set up on 23rd Street, in front of City Hall to "Celebrate Saskatchewan". It was a trial market in that location as City Hall would soon be expanding its own facilities and the market would no longer have use of the parking lot. The following summer, the city agreed to close 23rd Street between Third and Fourth Avenues, so members could hold the market. They expanded the Saturday's summer market and started to use the City Hall Square area in the summer of 1993 to accommodate the overflow of members.

Due to a poor growing season in 1981, the market was ready to put an end to the markets and relied on the summer market of '82 to get them though. The members persevered by holding markets on Saturdays and Thursdays and added another summer satellite location on Tuesdays at the Wildwood Mall. The added income of another location helped to get the market back on track financially. The Tuesday market continued at the Wildwood Mall until 1990 when it moved to the College Park Mall where it continued until 1999. The Tuesday market moved across the street, due to the expansion of the College Park Mall, to the Elim Church parking lot on 8th Street in 2000. In 2002 the market changed locations, moving to the Lakewood Civic Centre.

An indoor Thursday market was introduced in the Sturdy Stone Centre in 1990 which continued until spring 2002.

Satellite markets saw a number of changes in hours and locations and while the summer Saturday market only moved once from behind City Hall to 23rd Street, the winter Saturday market moved yearly until it found a temporary home in the Sturdy Stone Center until the spring of 2003. Due to renovations at the Sturdy Stone building by the government, the market was forced to find a new winter location. The City of Saskatoon came forward and allowed the co-use of the City's Electrical Building at 401 Ave A So. (corner of Ave A & 19th Street) for a temporary permanent winter home in the fall of 2003.

In December 2004 , the City of Saskatoon, Province of Saskatchewan and the Government of Canada came to together to redevelop the A.L. Cole site in Saskatoon's River Landing. Part of the development included a permanent home for the Farmers' Market, something that had been worked towards for many years. Market opened at the new facility May 5, 2007. All markets operate in one location year round.

With the many adjustments made by customers and vendors alike, the essence of the market has remained the same. Says market-goer Heather Norquay: “The best part of the market is the activity of attending the market, walking through, seeing people. It’s an event!"
Audrey Simpkins, who has been a market member since 1975, says the producers are important to the success of the Market, but the loyal market-goers can take credit, too. “It’s not just the vendors who make the market. It’s the customers who show up in 30 degrees below weather or when it’s raining. They make it viable,” says Simpkins.