Starting and Propagating Plants - (Grower's Guides from the Market Gardener) by Jean-Martin Fortier (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Save money and ensure high quality by producing your own plants

Discover the proven plant propagation methods of Jean-Martin Fortier, renowned market gardener and pioneer of bio-intensive organic farming. In this practical and inspiring guide, Fortier reveals how to grow strong, healthy seedlings from seed to transplant--whether you're a home gardener or a market farmer.

Inside you'll learn how to:

• Start your own seedlings--indoors, under cover, or directly in the field
• Master direct seeding and transplanting in soil blocks or pots
• Apply advanced propagation techniques like grafting, growing from cuttings, and plant division
• Follow every step of the planting process: soil preparation, bed design, single- and multi-row planting, acclimatization, irrigation, mulching, plant protection, weeding, and post-planting care
• Save money, gain independence, and produce top-quality crops naturally.

With clear illustrations and field-tested techniques, this book is your essential guide to growing organically, intensively, and profitably--no matter the size of your garden.

About the Author

Jean-Martin Fortier, a distinguished farmer, author, and educator, has been spearheading a movement in ecological agriculture for over twenty years. Since 2004, he and his wife have been operating Les Jardins de la Grelinette, an efficient and productive 2-acre microfarm. This farm is often referred to as a blueprint for effective human-scale organic farming.

In 2015, Jean-Martin established La Ferme des Quatre-Temps, a research farm dedicated to training apprentices and developing new strategies for market gardening, including year-round production. His pioneering methods are taught worldwide through the Market Gardener Institute, which is present in more than 90 countries.

Jean-Martin is the author of The Winter Market Gardener and The Market Gardener, which have sold over a quarter of a million copies in nine languages. His contributions to organic farming and regenerative agriculture have earned him the Meritorious Service Cross from the Governor General of Canada. He farms and lives in Quebec, Canada.

Pierre Nessmann was born to a family of Strasbourg market gardeners and holds a degree from the École d'Horticulture de Genève, in Switzerland. He has worked as a landscape gardener and a journalist for over 40 years. He is the assistant editor of the popular French gardening magazines Rustica Pratique and Rustica Weekly, covers gardening and DIY stories for the French television Network TF1, and currently hosts a gardening segment on the show Nous Voilà Bien, on the French radio station RTL. He is the author of several books about vegetable growing, gardening, and landscaping. Pierre lives in Paris, France.

Flore Avram is a freelance artist and graphic designer specializing in scientific and botanical illustration. She has collaborated extensively with the French language children's publisher KiloWatt Editions, and with Inserm Magazine, a quarterly journal which explores health and biomedical research. Flore has earned several professional certifications in graphic design and scientific illustration from L'Ecole Estienne, the Municipal Graduate School of the Arts and Printing Industry. She also works as a Médiatrice en botanique at Jardin des Serres d'Auteuil, a unique French natural heritage site and eco-garden. She is based in Paris, France.