The Market Gardener

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 Fortier and Maude-Hélène Desroches feed more than 200 families through their thriving community-supported agriculture (CSA) program, and seasonal market stands, and they supply their signature mesclun salad mix to dozens of local establishments. The secret to 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 the farm'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 maraîchage and by iconic American vegetable grower Eliot Coleman, author and farmer Jean-Martin Fortier 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.