The market gardener

I have just finished reading 'The market gardener' by Jean Martin Fortier.  Not because I want to become a market gardener, but because I am fascinated by the fact that here is a guy and his wife who with very little help and a few simple tools can provide food for 240 families and make $140,000-, all on 1 acre of land in southern Quebec in Canada.

 

 

I have watched several interviews with him on youtube, but couldn't seem to get enough of him, so I finally bought the book.

After reading the book I realised there was a lot I could learn from him.

Some of his techniques I already practise - Using weedmat / tarps to control the weeds, aerating the soil with a broadfork, and gardening on raised beds.

 But his practice of organising the whole operation from his growing beds and starting seeds to the methods he uses to maintain a high fertility in the garden beds so he can plant intensively, has been inspiring, and has motivated me to over come some of my lazy habits.

The last few growing seasons in NZ and in Canada have been disappointing for me. I blamed it on the cool Canadian summer we had last year and the two dry summers (and my inability to water adequately) that we've had in NZ.

But this season in NZ I have been boosting my fertility with blood and bone and sulphate of potash on top of the compost, and it seems along with a higher rainfall my garden this season is growing much better.

I was always an admirer of Eliot Coleman (The Four Season Harvest), and it seems like Jean Martin Fortier is the next generation of inspiring gardeners who defy the traditional approach to agriculture and food production.