ROOT VEGETABLES: A Grower’s Guide, part of the ongoing Market Gardener series

ROOT VEGETABLES: A Grower’s Guide (Market Gardener series)
JEAN-MARTIN FORTIER (edited by Pierre Nessmann; Illus. Flore Avram; tr. Laurie Bennett)
New Society Publishers (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$19.99 all editions, available now

Rating: 4.75* of five

The Publisher Says: Root Vegetables: A Grower's Guide offers an essential roadmap to cultivating Jean-Martin Fortier's 20 favorite varieties using biointensive techniques. Discover hidden gems for your garden, from staples to heirloom curiosities, with detailed guidance on growing, managing, and harvesting nutrient-packed root crops. Master the art of growing nutritious, versatile, and flavorful root vegetables with Jean-Martin Fortier's biointensive farming methods.

Root Vegetables: A Grower's Guide uncovers the secrets to cultivating a wide range of root crops, from familiar favorites like potatoes and carrots to lesser-known gems like oca and salsify. Jean-Martin Fortier's biointensive approach maximizes yield while nurturing soil health, making this guide invaluable to home gardeners and market farmers alike.

This richly illustrated, full-color guide includes:

A step-by-step introduction to "The Fortier Method" for sustainable, high-yield microfarming

Botanical insights into root vegetables, from ancient wild varieties to modern cultivars

Detailed profiles of 20 nutritious and versatile crops, with practical advice on growing each

Techniques for soil preparation, sowing, transplanting, fertilizing, and irrigation

Organic practices for managing pests, diseases, and crop rotations

Tips for optimizing harvest and storage to preserve flavor and nutrition.

Root Vegetables is part of the Grower's Guides from the Market Gardener series. It's designed to provide novice to expert growers with practical knowledge to succeed using the principles of biointensive, regenerative agriculture on a human scale.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: As with LIVING SOIL: A Grower’s Guide, this book is part of the ongoing Market Gardener series.

The series is meant to inform as well as inspire the people who love growing things to apply ecologically sound methods of doing so, most especially to food production. It is the use of land that matters the most...a house and flower garden matter very little to someone who's constantly hungry, or worse, starving. As our climate uncertainty shifts from "can we stop the looming disaster" to "how best can we mitigate the inevitable disaster" it behooves every privileged one of us to learn all we can about growing some of our own food to reduce the stress on a system that's going to be more stressed soon.

Start with foods you want to eat, like:

The entire series is currently available, and could be a literal lifesaver.

Well worth your time and treasure.

LIVING SOIL: A Grower’s Guide, part of the ongoing Market Gardener series

LIVING SOIL: A Grower’s Guide (Market Gardener series)
JEAN-MARTIN FORTIER (edited by Pierre Nessmann; Illus. Flore Avram; tr. Laurie Bennett)
New Society Publishers (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$19.99 all editions, available now

Rating: 4.75* of five

The Publisher Says: Living Soil: A Grower's Guide offers an illustrated, accessible resource on nurturing resilient crops and ecosystems through fertile, healthy soil. Jean-Martin Fortier shares his proven biointensive methods to help growers understand soil biology, improve fertility, and cultivate lasting abundance. Build and sustain fertile, living soil—the essential foundation for thriving crops—with Jean-Martin Fortier's biointensive techniques.

Living Soil: A Grower's Guide reveals the secrets to creating fertile, healthy soil—an essential foundation for abundant, nutrient-rich harvests. With Jean-Martin Fortier's biointensive methods, gardeners and farmers alike can improve soil health while supporting thriving ecosystems.

This richly illustrated, full-color guide includes:

An overview of "The Market Gardener Method"—a proven formula for small-scale, high-yield farming

A deep dive into soil composition, including humus, microbes, and mineral content

Simple DIY assessments and advanced tests for understanding soil biology and structure

Low and no-till techniques to enhance soil fertility, including composting, mulching, crop rotation, and green manures

Strategies for regenerating and sustaining soil over time.

Living Soil is part of the Grower's Guides from the Market Gardener series, offering practical knowledge for all growers. From beginner gardeners to seasoned farmers, these guides equip you with the tools and insights needed to grow sustainably using principles of biointensive, regenerative agriculture on a human scale.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: Author Fortier is the founder of the Market Gardener Institute (www.themarketgardener.com) deidcated to the expansion of sustainable agriculture in all levels of farming and gardening. The entry into the Institute's Market Gardener series is very thorough indeed:

...just to orient you as to what we're going to be reading about. Of course, it always helps to have a face to put with the voice, and a milieu for both:

Where we go from here is down. Into the soil, the basic material of all food production. It is something much more important than ever, as our planetary climate shifts in as-yet unpredictable conditions. How much more warming we're going to experience is a large determining factor in how we're going to feed everybody.

Soil is what we're using to feed them, so learning about it is key. It's also key if you're going to do your own bit to help feed your own near and dear. Here are some examples of what you'll see in this book:

I'd rate this book five stars for anyone seriously wondering how to move into a market-gardening lifestyle. I think the home gardener will derive a lot of benefit from the read; but I found it overwhelming to take in all this detailed and carefully thought out information. I think most who read my reviews will likely feel the same way. I have to, in that case, take just a fraction off my rating; not from dissatisfaction but from overload of good information.

Read slowly, you'll get more out of it!