Morning Glory Farm

About the Farm

Morning Glory Farm began in 1975 when James and Deborah Athearn moved back to Martha's Vineyard, where numerous generations of their respective families had called home. In those first years, they cleared a small vegetable plot and made room for a barn and pasture for milking cows, selling their modest yields at the farmhouse in a small shed and at the West Tisbury Farmers Market. The farm's name grew from their vision of the sun rising over lush, green fields, cows with udders full of milk ambling past bountiful gardens, and hedgerows lively with honeybees.

What started as a humble vegetable operation has flourished into Martha's Vineyard's largest farming enterprise. The farmstand opened in 1981 as a modest 20 by 18-foot structure on Meshacket Road, and through several expansions now includes greenhouses, an employee residence, a vegetable barn with farm kitchen and bakery, equipment buildings, and renewable energy installations. Today, the farm operates over 250 acres with more than 100 employees during high season, led by the second generation including Simon, Robyn, Meeghan, and Daniel.

The farm's mission extends far beyond simple food production, aiming to cultivate land that produces fresh vegetables, fruit, flowers, meat and eggs for local sale while creating an economically and environmentally sustainable operation that enriches the lives of family members, employees, and customers for generations. Morning Glory Farm is deeply committed to conservation and farmland preservation, viewing themselves as temporary caretakers who must deliver healthy soils to the next generation. They currently cultivate about 70 acres of vegetables and small fruits using natural fertilizers and minimal pesticides, with 25 acres enrolled in the National Organic Program as of January 2024.