ReadThe Portobello Bookshop Gift Guide 2025

Living Soil

A Grower’s Guide

Jean-Martin Fortier author Laurie Bennett translator Flore Avram illustrator Pierre Nessmann editor

Format:Paperback

Publisher:New Society Publishers

Published:30th Oct '25

Should be back in stock very soon

Living Soil cover

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.

Jean-Martin Fortier has done it again! Incredibly beautiful, this series of pragmatic and professional instructional manuals makes it easy for anyone to start market gardening at a professional and regenerative level with a tailored focus on each aspect.
—Matt Powers, author, Regenerative Soil and Regenerative Soil Microscopy

Applying a market gardening mindset to your home garden will improve your yields and greatly reduce the amount of work involved. To do this, look no further than this series from Jean-Martin Fortier, who is a pioneer in regenerative, biointensive, and organic market gardening.
—Rob and Michelle Avis, Verge Permaculture / 5th World and co-authors, Building Your Permaculture Property

ISBN: 9781774060186

Dimensions: 178mm x 133mm x 8mm

Weight: 136g

128 pages