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.
Healthy soil isn't an input-it's a living system you can learn to cultivate
Strong harvests begin below the surface. Living Soil: A Grower's Guide shows gardeners and small-scale farmers how to build fertile, resilient soil that supports productive crops year after year-without relying on high-input fixes or extractive practices.
Grounded in The Market Gardener Method, this highly illustrated guide translates soil science into clear, practical decisions you can apply immediately, whether you're improving a backyard garden or managing a diversified market farm. The focus is on understanding how soil functions-and how to work with biology rather than against it.
What this Book Offers
- A clear explanation of soil structure, organic matter, minerals, and microbial life
- Practical ways to assess soil health, from simple field observations to basic testing
- Proven low- and no-till techniques that protect soil structure and biology
- Strategies for composting, mulching, crop rotation, and green manures
- Long-term approaches to maintaining fertility while reducing labor and inputs
Rather than prescribing one-size-fits-all solutions, this guide helps you make informed choices based on your soil, crops, and climate-building systems that improve over time.
Who this Book is For
- Gardeners who want healthier plants and more consistent yields
- Market growers seeking durable, regenerative production systems
- Farmers reducing tillage and external inputs
- Readers of The Market Gardener looking to deepen their soil practice
- Anyone interested in working with living ecosystems, not against them
Jean-Martin Fortier is a farmer, educator, and internationally recognized leader in biointensive, human-scale agriculture. Through decades of hands-on growing and teaching, he has helped thousands of growers improve productivity while restoring soil health.
Living Soil is part of the Grower's Guides from the Market Gardener series-practical, visually rich manuals designed to help growers take meaningful steps toward more resilient food systems.
If you want soil that grows stronger-and more productive-every season, this guide shows you where to start.
