Homegrow Market
Community guidelines

A few small agreements that keep this kind.

None of this is complicated. We trust members to be the kind of neighbor they'd want next door.

Share what you'd give a friend

List food you'd be glad to receive yourself: fresh, clean, honestly described. If it wouldn't go to your own table, it shouldn't go on a listing.

Be on time, or cancel ahead

Pickup windows are a small promise to the grower. If your plans change, cancel the reservation so the listing can find someone else.

Keep it free or by donation

Homegrow Market isn't a market. Listings are gifts (or close to it). If a grower notes a suggested donation, treat it as a suggestion, not a price.

Respect the address

Pickup spots are people's homes. Show up at the agreed window, take what you reserved, and leave the place tidier than you found it.

Photos and identity should be real

Use your own photos and your real first name. The club works because members trust each other.

Report anything that feels off

Use the report button on any listing. We read every report, and we act quickly when something breaks the spirit of the club.

Missed pickups

What happens when reservations are missed.

When a member reserves a harvest, the grower sets aside that food for them. A no-show means it might spoil, or another neighbor who would have loved it never gets the chance.

We track missed pickups quietly. After a few, you'll see a small nudge on your dashboard. After 10 missed pickups, new reservations are automatically paused for a short period so we can check in and reset.

If life happens — and it does — the kindest thing is to cancel your reservation as soon as you know you can't make it. The listing pops back onto the marketplace and someone else can claim it. No judgment.

By state

What can be shared in your state.

A category-by-category snapshot of how Homegrow Market treats each kind of listing. "Heads-up" means it's allowed, with a note describing what growers should know.

  • Vegetables

    Allowed

  • Fruits

    Allowed

  • Herbs

    Allowed

  • Mushrooms

    Cultivated (not foraged) mushrooms only. Treated like produce unless dried, sliced, pickled, or otherwise processed.

    Heads-up

  • Eggs

    Egg rules often depend on own-flock status, direct-to-consumer channel, on-premises pickup, labeling, and refrigeration Do not assume every state allows off-premises exchange without licensing.

    Not allowed

  • Flowers

    Plant-material rules usually live in nursery, quarantine, or invasive-species law rather than food law Do not imply food-safety review covers this.

    Heads-up

  • Honey

    Allowed

  • Seeds

    Seed exchange can trigger seed labeling or noxious-weed rules Warn that interstate or regulated-species movement can be restricted.

    Heads-up

  • Seedlings

    Live plants and seedlings can trigger nursery or plant-health rules Useful place for a user attestation or species warning.

    Heads-up

  • Cuttings

    Live plants and seedlings can trigger nursery or plant-health rules Useful place for a user attestation or species warning.

    Heads-up

  • Compost

    Allowed

  • Other

    Made-good categories vary by state. We're holding these for v1 until we can verify each state's cottage-food rules.

    Not allowed

These guidelines are a starting point — local rules vary, and growers are expected to use their best judgement when sharing food with neighbors.