The Witten Farm is a multigenerational family farm based in Lowell, Ohio, along State Route 60 near the Muskingum River. The family traces its farming roots back to 1790 in Fly, Ohio, and the current operation began taking shape when Ralph Witten moved the family from Fly to a dairy farm near Beverly in 1958.
The farm eventually moved away from dairy and concentrated on vegetables, particularly sweet corn. By 1980, Jerry Witten had shifted the farm entirely toward vegetables, and the farm began supplying wholesale produce to markets and grocery stores throughout Ohio and Pennsylvania.
The sweet corn is a big deal. One of the more interesting things about Witten is its midnight corn-picking tradition. Beginning in 1994, Jerry Witten started harvesting sweet corn around midnight so it could be delivered to the markets in the morning. The family says the tradition continues today, emphasizing how seriously it takes freshness.
Witten also grows tomatoes, green beans, blackberries and other fruits and vegetables, while sourcing some seasonal produce elsewhere — for example, Tennessee tomatoes before its own tomatoes are ready.
The first satellite Witten Farm Market opened in Marietta in 1986, followed by additional locations. The company now lists 23 markets throughout Ohio and West Virginia, including locations in Athens, Marietta, Cambridge, Zanesville, Columbus, Parkersburg, Ravenswood and Vienna.
The roadside markets are part of the Witten identity. In 1998, the family created its first wagon market, converting an old watermelon wagon into a produce stand; in 2003, the now-recognizable red-and-white-striped wagons became part of the company’s expansion.
There’s also a flower component. Starting in 1995, Witten expanded into flowers, hanging baskets and bedding plants, and several of its markets now combine produce and flowers.
The Winchester Pike Market in Columbus is Witten’s year-round operation. It sells produce and flowers and has a bakery, and the farm says it now also serves freshly brewed and specialty coffee in its schoolhouse.
Witten is essentially a family farm that evolved into a regional network of farm markets while retaining its own agricultural production. That’s probably the most interesting part of the story: it’s not simply a chain of produce stands buying everything wholesale — the Witten family actually farms, with sweet corn remaining one of its signature crops.
