A relatively small-scale commercial farm specialising in vegetables, salad crops, soft fruit, herbs, and flowers, typically located near a town or city that provides a ready market. Market gardens supply fresh produce with minimal transport, often selling through farm shops, farmers’ markets, box schemes, and local retailers. Their intensive cultivation of high-value crops on limited land contrasts with broad-acre arable farming. The proximity to customers allows harvesting at peak ripeness and direct relationships between growers and eaters. Market gardening has a long history around cities worldwide and is experiencing renewed interest through urban agriculture and local food movements.