In 1962, Billy and Punkey Foard opened a roadside produce stand on a Friday, April 13. But the store’s growth has been anything but unlucky. Between 1962 and now, Valley View Farms has grown into a sprawling complex, serving the Baltimore metro area’s gardening needs year-round. Valley View Farms is also a Baltimore Style 2024 Reader’s Choice winner.
Today, the garden center and plant nursery is a hub for the local gardening community — offering workshops, hosting seasonal events and going the extra mile to address specific garden needs. The York Road store boasts more than 200 native plant varieties and cultivars, but native plants aren’t the only thing that brings an air of familiarity — Valley View Farms also employs more than 20 people who have worked there for more than 30 years.
I used to go to Valley View market when it was a small store in the 70s when I worked at Noxell. Me and some co-workers would go there to their deli to get lunch and they had the best shrimp salad sandwiches. I was so sorry when they no longer had the deli, even though I no longer worked at Noxell after 1969.