Transform 1.5 acres into a 6 figure annual income through proven small-scale organic farming methods. Jean-Martin Fortier demonstrates how he and his wife built a thriving market garden operation feeding 200+ families while maintaining work-life balance using low-tech, high-yield techniques that work in any climate. Why This System Works Where Others Fail: Unlike industrial farming that requires massive acreage and equipment, this micro-farming approach maximizes profits per square foot through intensive, sustainable methods. Based on 10+ years of real-world success, these techniques have been replicated by thousands of growers worldwide. What You'll Master:

• Profitable crop selection - which vegetables generate $15-20 per square foot annually
• Efficient farm layout - design systems that minimize work while maximizing yields
• Tool and equipment choices - cost-effective alternatives to expensive machinery
• Four-season production - extend harvests for year-round income streams
• Direct marketing strategies - command premium prices through CSA and farmers markets
• Financial planning templates - track profits, plan cash flow, and scale systematically Proven Results from Real Farmers: Over 200,000 copies sold worldwide have helped farmers like you transition from hobby gardening to profitable small-scale agriculture. Jean-Martin's students report achieving financial independence on 2-5 acres using these exact methods. Start building your profitable market garden operation today. This isn't theory - it's a complete playbook from someone who's actually making a living from small-scale farming.

Autorentext

Jean-Martin Fortier and his wife Maude-Hélène Desroches are the founders of Les Jardins de la Grelinette, an internationally recognized micro-farm famous for its high productivity-profitability using low-tech, high-yield methods of production. A leading practitioner of biologically intensive cropping systems, Jean-Martin has more than a decade's worth of experience in mixed organic farming. He has written articles about his work for popular magazines such as Canadian Organic Grower , La Terre de Chez Nous and Growing for Market . He also contributes occasionally as a tool and equipment advisor for companies such as Johnny's Selected Seeds and Dubois Agrinovation. The original French language version of this book, Le Jardinier-Maraîcher , released in Fall 2012, has sold more than 15,000 copies

Inhalt

Acknowledgments
Foreword
Preface

1 Small Is Profitable
Can You Really Live ff 1.5 Acres?
Not Just Making a Good Living, but Making a Good Life

2 Succeeding as a Small-Scale Organic Vegetable Grower
A Biologically Intensive Approach
Minimizing Start-Up Costs
Minimizing Production Costs
Direct Selling
Adding Value to the Crops
Learning the Craft

3 Finding the Right Site
Climate and Microclimate
Market Access
Growing Space Needed
Soil Quality
Topography
Drainage
Access to Water
Infrastructure
Assessing Possible Pollution Problems

4 Designing the Market Garden
Buildings and Foot Traffic
Standardizing the Garden Layout
Locating the Greenhouse and Tunnels
Protection against Deer
Windbreaks
Irrigation

5 Minimum Tillage and Appropriate Machinery
Permanent Raised Beds
The Two-Wheel Tractor
The Broadfork (Grelinette)
Tarps and Pre-Crop Ground Cover
To Till or not to Till

6 Fertilizing Organically
Soil Tests
Crop Requirements
Managing Soil Fertility
Good Compost
Relying on Natural Fertilizers - Why?
Establishing Crop Rotation
Crop Rotation at Les Jardins de la Grelinette
Green Manure and Cover Crops
Connecting with Soil Ecology

7 Starting Seeds Indoors
Seeding in Cell Flats
The Soil Mix
Filling Cell Flats
The Seedling Room
The Evolving Plant Nursery
Heating and Ventilation of the Nursery
How to Water Seedlings
Potting up
Transplanting into the Gardens

8 Direct Seeding
Precision Seeders
Seedbed Preparation
Record Keeping

9 Weed Management
Cultivating with Hoes
Weeding with Tarps
The Stale Seedbed Technique
Flame Weeding
Mulching
Weed Control Technology

10 Insect Pests and Diseases
Scouting
Disease Prevention
Using Biopesticides

11 Season Extension
Floating Row Cover and Low Tunnels
Caterpillar Tunnels
Hoophouses

12 Harvest and Storage
Harvesting Efficiently
Harvest Help
The Cold Room

13 Crop Planning
Setting Farming Objectives
Determining Production
Establishing a Crop Calendar
Making a Garden Plan
Record Keeping

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

Index
About the Author