The Market Gardener : A Successful Grower's Handbook for Small-Scale Organic Farming

Annotation Les Jardins de la Grelinette is a micro-farm located in eastern Quebec, just north of the American border. Growing on just 1.5 acres, owners Jean-Martin and Maude-Helène feed more than two hundred families through their thriving CSA and seasonal market stands and supply their signature mesclun salad mix to dozens of local establishments. The secret of their success is the low-tech, high-yield production methods they've developed by focusing on growing better rather than growing bigger, making their operation more lucrative and viable in the process. The Market Gardener is a compendium of la Grelinette's proven horticultural techniques and innovative growing methods. This complete guide is packed with practical information on: Setting-up a micro-farm by designing biologically intensive cropping systems, all with negligible capital outlay Farming without a tractor and minimizing fossil fuel inputs through the use of the best hand tools, appropriate machinery, and minimum tillage practices Growing mixed vegetables systematically with attention to weed and pest management, crop yields, harvest periods, and pricing approaches Inspired by the French intensive tradition of maraichage and by iconic American vegetable grower Eliot Coleman, author and farmer Jean-Martin shows by example how to start a market garden and make it both very productive and profitable. Making a living wage farming without big capital outlay or acreages may be closer than you think. Jean-Martin Fortier is a passionate advocate of strong local food systems and founder of Les Jardins de la Grelinette, an internationally recognized model for successful biointensive micro-farming Grow better not bigger with proven low-tech, human-scale, biointensive farming methods Making a living wage farming without big capital outlay or acreages may be closer than you think. Growing on just 1.5 acres, Jean-Martin and Maude-Helene feed more than 200 families through their thriving CSA and seasonal market stands. The secret of their success is the low-tech, high-yield production methods they've developed by focusing on growing better rather than growing bigger, making their operation more lucrative and viable in the process. The Market Gardener is a compendium of proven horticultural techniques and innovative growing methods. This complete guide is packed with practical information on: Setting-up a micro-farm by designing biologically intensive cropping systems, all with negligible capital outlay; Farming without a tractor and minimizing fossil fuel inputs through the use of the best hand tools, appropriate machinery and minimum tillage practices; Growing mixed vegetables systematically with attention to weed and pest management, crop yields, harvest periods and pricing approaches. Inspired by the French intensive tradition of maraichage and by iconic American vegetable grower Eliot Coleman, author and farmer Jean-Martin shows by example how to start a market garden and make it both very productive and profitable. Front Cover......Page 1 Praise......Page 2 Title Page......Page 4 Rights Page......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Dedication......Page 9 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Foreword......Page 12 Preface......Page 16 Chapter 1: Small Is Profitable......Page 18 Chapter 2: Succeeding as a Small-Scale Organic Vegetable Grower......Page 22 Chapter 3: Finding the Right Site......Page 34 Chapter 4: Designing the Market Garden......Page 48 Chapter 5: Minimum Tillage and Appropriate Machinery......Page 58 Chapter 6: Fertilizing Organically......Page 70 Chapter 7: Starting Seeds Indoors......Page 98 Chapter 8: Direct Seeding......Page 112 Chapter 9: Weed Management......Page 118 Chapter 10: Insect Pests and Diseases......Page 128 Chapter 11: Season Extension......Page 136 Chapter 12: Harvest and Storage......Page 144 Chapter 13: Crop Planning......Page 150 Conclusion: Farming for Ecology,Community, and Lifestyle......Page 160 Appendix 1: Crop Notes......Page 164 Appendix 2: Tools and Suppliers......Page 200 Appendix 3: Garden Plan......Page 206 Appendix 4: Annotated Bibliography......Page 218 Appendix 5: Glossary......Page 224 Index......Page 232 About the Author......Page 240 A Guide to Responsible Digital Reading......Page 241 Grow better not bigger with proven low-tech, human-scale, biointensive farming methods Les Jardins de la Grelinette is a micro-farm located in Eastern Quebec, just north of the American border. Growing on just 1.5 acres, owners Jean-Martin and Maude-Helene feed more than 200 families through their thriving CSA and seasonal market stands and supply their signature mesclun salad mix to dozens of local establishments. The secret of their success is the low-tech, high-yield production methods they've developed by focusing on growing better rather than growing bigger, making their operation more lucrative and viable in the process. The Market Gardener is a compendium of La Grelinette's proven horticultural techniques and innovative growing methods. This complete guide is packed with practical information Inspired by the French intensive tradition of maraichage and by iconic American vegetable grower Eliot Coleman, author and farmer Jean-Martin shows by example how to start a market garden and make it both very productive and profitable. Making a living wage farming without big capital outlay or acreages may be closer than you think. Small is profitable Succeeding as a small-scale organic vegetable grower Finding the right site Designing the market garden Minimum tillage and appropriate machinery Fertilizing organically Starting seeds indoors Direct seeding Weed management Insect pests and diseases Season extension Harvest and storage Crop planning Conclusion: Farming for ecology, community, and lifestyle Appendix 1: Crop notes Appendix 2: Tools and suppliers Appendix 3: Garden plan Appendix 4: Annotated bibliography Appendix 5: Glossary.