Singh Farms Expands With Singh Meadows, Farmers Market Opening Jan. 21 in Tempe

Ken Singh, owner of Singh Farms, still receives phone calls asking when the once well-attended farmers market that shut down nearly 10 months ago will reopen. But he has no plans to reopen — not there, anyway.

Instead, Singh set his sights on a 70-acre floodplain and former golf course, tucked behind Big Surf Waterpark in Tempe at 1490 East Weber Drive. Singh Meadows, as it’s called, will be an organic farm and the new host to a weekend farmers market starting this week from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, January 21, and Sunday, January 22.

At first glance, the plot of land still looks much like a golf course. But for over two years, Singh has buried his hands in the dirt.

“You have to look under the soil. The soil is the important part,” Singh says.

During that time, Singh flushed out the floodplain, began tracking walking paths, installed a 400-foot well in the now chloride- and fluoride-free pond, built a fence surrounding the property, put in new pumps and sprinklers, and watched the soil swell with compost and fish fertilizer.
“What place can you go here [in the Valley] that is completely toxin free?” Singh asks.

Lee Singh, co-owner of the farms and Singh's wife, says the meadows is that safe, toxin-free place for everyone to come lay in the grass, enjoy food grown and cooked within a mile radius, and be a kid again.

The main source of fresh produce will continue to come from Singh Farms, while Singh Meadows will host the morning market, dinners, a juice bar, and the second annual Seven Chef Singh Along on March 1.

According to a press release, the event now includes 10 chefs from Valley restaurants and will begin with a cocktail round and finish with dessert.
But Singh warns that he doesn’t want this to turn into a business.

“I want this to be, you’re sitting at home one day and think ‘Ah, hell! We’ll go for a walk in nature,’” he says. “‘Let’s go have pasta that we know grew a mile away. Grab a carrot and sit under a tree. I don’t want this to be hoopla. I want this to be simple.”

For more information, call Singh Farms at 480-225-7199 or e-mail them at [email protected].