Microfarms: Organic Market Gardening on a Human Scale, by Jean-Martin Fortier and Aurélie Sécheret, and Tomatoes: A Grower’s Guide, by Jean-Martin Fortier
Market gardener Jean-Martin Fortier is out with several new books this year.
The first, Microfarms: Organic Market Gardening on a Human Scale, is a description of Fortier’s overall farming methodology followed by eight case studies of mostly European market farms. The focus on human scale is vital to Fortier. He emphasizes technology that is cost effective and that prioritizes the craftsmanship of the farmer. As he rightly points out, every city of the past —including ancient metropolises like Paris in the 1800s, which he draws inspiration from — was able to feed itself with local farmers. While it sounds idealistic to envision a return to such a system, it’s at least worthwhile to acknowledge that it’s possible. Particularly with low-tech modern greenhouses, there’s no reason we should have to rely on California, Arizona and Mexico for vegetables.
Fortier offers a proven system for profitable market farming. While it may come over as a bit pretentious — “The Fortier Method” — his system of biointensive market gardening has worked for decades (centuries, really — from the aforementioned Parisian gardeners to Eliot Coleman and others today). According to Jean-Francois Rial in the preface of Microfarms, there’s little room for improvisation when trying to make a profit on 2.5 acres. It requires a complex system of tools and knowledge — a formula, in essence. The Fortier Method may not be the only system that makes success possible, but it does work.
It’s also undeniable that most people actually want a system — they want to be told how to do something the right way. In this sense, The Fortier Method certainly fits the bill. These two new books certainly aren’t the whole system — for that you need JM’s $2,250 Market Gardener Masterclass — but there’s understandably some comfort in being able to emulate a method that’s proven. It’s almost like buying a franchise. And when compared to the cost of college or most other technical training courses, it’s a steal. The alternative would be spending several years working on a market farm that uses the system in order to learn the skills; a comprehensive course is a way — for better or worse — of hacking that timeline.
Tomatoes: A Grower’s Guide is one of a series of books on specific crops or aspects of gardening. Others slated for release this year include root crops, soil, and tools.
The intended audience of Tomatoes is home gardeners, not professionals. It’s essentially a detailed, well-illustrated treatment of the basics. Most, if not all, of the information is available elsewhere, but it is a complete guide that comes from decades of success — i.e., it’s a great place to start.
Is market farming the revolution it’s been hyped to be? It’s certainly had a much-needed moment over the past couple decades. Local farmers markets in America had virtually disappeared for much of the second half of the twentieth century. Market farming methods are by necessity biointensive — with an emphasis on the -intensive. More ecologically focused methods like Helen Atthowe’s see the interview also produce vegetables for market, albeit with perhaps more of a focus on the bio-.
Regardless of method, the hope is that local market farms of all stripes, as well as home gardens, will continue to grow in popularity. Jean-Martin Fortier has been a huge part of helping make this happen over the past several decades, and these new books are another important contribution.
