FARM LIFE BECKONS
But do you really want to take the plunge?
“I farm in Quebec — I started farming because I wanted an alternative lifestyle and I wanted to make something useful with my work,” said Jean- Martin Fortier, speaking to a packed tent in Albany, Ore., this spring. Listening to him, I realized something very important. I needed to buy his book. ( The Market Gardener, 2014, New Society Publishers.)
If reading a book has inspired you to make a huge life change — say, quit your day job to start a farm — then you’ll know how I felt when I attended Fortier’s talk and read his book.
For years I wanted to be a farmer, and it always seemed I was getting ready. Fortier is a distant relative of Louis Hébert, Canada’s first European farmer. Guess what? I’m a distant relative of Louis Hébert, Canada’s first European farmer. As far back as I can trace on my mother’s side, my Canadian ancestors were farmers.
I got an agriculture degree and married a farmer, the first time. Sadly, we met while we were in school, in Edmonton, in a bar. We never actually farmed together.
Since university, I’ve studied soil, zero till and beneficial insects. I’ve read hundreds of books about gardening, including memoirs by farmers and farmers’ daughters. I’ve taught gardening at Olds College, written about gardening, advised on gardening and, of course, I’ve gardened.
And all this time I assumed that one day I would be a farmer. Fortier got me so excited with his talk in June that I read his book in a single sitting. His all- inclusive, step- bystep, day- by- day how- to planning guide has every bit of detail a new farmer needs. It lays out every nuance of being a profitable market gardener on less than a hectare of land. Fortier even provides a reasonable budget showing there is no need for an initial large outlay of capital.
But while reading Fortier’s book, I also found out something very important about myself. I love the thrill of the chase, the excitement of the research, the idea of making the plan. I guess that’s why I change houses the way some girls change shoes.
And guess what? Fortier has already done the research, and in his book he gives it all away: the plans, the rotations, the specific moneymaking crops.
The concept of farming, as Fortier carefully explains, is all about making a carrot plan, sticking to the carrot plan and not wavering from the carrot plan.
Fortier describes his 10- year rotation of crops ( tomatoes followed by greens and garlic), the ideal width of a market garden row ( he suggests 30 inches or 76 cm) and how you should buy land with good soil that slopes gently to the south.
If I had the right personality, I would be looking for that perfect piece of land within easy commuting distance to the city and the marketplace right now, in midsummer. Hint: if you can see the mountains you can feel the wind from the west, so if Fortier lived in Calgary he would not suggest buying a mountain- view lot. Remember, the ideal plot of land faces south.
This morning I served my own strawberries for breakfast. At lunch we had homegrown salad and tonight I’ll cook my own peas, zucchini, potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower. I’m not a farmer, but I am an enthusiastic and happy urban gardener.
My “farm” yard faces the wrong way — north instead of south — and my soil is terrible because we bought the property for the view not the farm potential.
My experimental farm is my yard, and I look for little tools to maximize yields in my small space. I’ve tested biochar, IRT mulch and micro- irrigation to grow better food faster. I’ve also tested GrowNet and ProtekNet to shelter my crops from wind, hail and bugs.
If your heart takes you in the farming direction, I suggest you read Fortier’s book before you call a Realtor. The book is so real you’ll taste the dirt on the carrots. And then you’ll have to wash them, bag them and sell them.
I raise local food, get dirt under my fingernails and eat well from my own yard, but while reading Fortier’s book, I realized I’m not the right person to manage the day- to- day, multiyear details and repetitive work a commercial farm demands.
So thanks a lot, Jean- Martin Fortier, ancestor of Quebec’s first farmer. Because of your book, I know some of us will never be farmers, but with your coaching, all of us can be growers of great gourmet food.