Tomatoes
Description
Grow better tomatoes-more reliably, more profitably, and with less guesswork
Tomatoes are one of the most rewarding crops to grow-and one of the easiest to get wrong. Whether you're tending a backyard plot or managing a diversified market garden, Tomatoes: A Grower's Guide gives you the practical knowledge and confidence to produce healthy plants and abundant harvests from seed to storage.
Grounded in The Market Gardener Method, this beautifully illustrated guide distills Jean-Martin Fortier's decades of hands-on experience into clear, actionable strategies that work at a human scale. Instead of chasing trends or folklore, you'll learn what actually delivers consistent results in real growing conditions.
What this Book Offers
- A practical overview of tomato biology and growth habits, so you understand why techniques work
- Thoughtful guidance on selecting productive heirloom and hybrid varieties for different climates and goals
- Step-by-step cultivation methods, from propagation and transplanting to pruning, trellising, irrigation, and fertilization
- Proven organic approaches to disease prevention and pest management
- Harvest timing, season extension, and storage strategies to maximize yield and quality
Rather than overwhelming you with theory, this guide focuses on decisions that matter most-helping you avoid common mistakes and build a system that supports strong plants, flavorful fruit, and steady harvests.
Who this Book is For
- Home gardeners who want healthier plants and better yields
- Market gardeners seeking reliable, efficient tomato production
- Growers transitioning to biointensive, regenerative practices
- Readers of The Market Gardener looking for crop-specific information
- Anyone who wants clear, practical guidance-not vague advice
Jean-Martin Fortier is a farmer, educator, and internationally recognized leader in regenerative, small-scale agriculture. Through decades of work at his own microfarm and as a teacher to growers worldwide, he has refined methods that balance productivity, soil health, and quality of life.
Tomatoes: A Grower's Guide is part of the Grower's Guides from the Market Gardener series-compact, highly visual manuals designed to help growers take meaningful, practical steps toward more resilient and rewarding food production.
If you want to grow tomatoes with confidence, clarity, and care for the land, this guide shows you how.
More details
Other editions
Additional editions
Persons
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.
Content
Introduction
A Few Words about My Background
What is the Fortier Method?
Preface
Tomatoes: The Essentials
Chapter 1: Jean-Martin Fortier's Top 20 Tomatoes
Chapter 2: Growing Seedlings
Seeding
Transplanting
Chapter 3: Planting and Early Care
Preparing the soil
Planting
Trellising
Mulching
Chapter 4: Maintenance, Harvest, and Storage
Irrigation
Pruning
Fertilization
Harvest
Chapter 5: Tomato Enemies
Bibliography and Acknowledgments
