The Winter Market Gardener: A Successful Grower's Handbook for Year-Round Harvests - Paperback

by Jean-Martin Fortier (Author), Catherine Sylvestre (Author), Laurie Bennett (Translator)

Grow fresh, local vegetables all winter long -- and build a thriving, profitable farm that never sleeps

Discover how small-scale farmers are transforming the "off-season" into their most productive and profitable time of year. The Winter Market Gardener shows you exactly how to grow abundant, high-quality vegetables year-round in northern climates -- even through the darkest months.

Inside, you'll learn practical systems and proven methods for cold-season success:

• How to plan and plant for continuous harvests using crop calendars, cold-hardy varieties, and precise scheduling.


• Best shelters and tools for northern growers -- from row covers and caterpillar tunnels to efficient, low-cost greenhouses.


• Smart strategies for profitability -- extend your CSA season, supply local markets, and keep your income steady all year.


• Detailed winter crop profiles for dozens of vegetables, with cultivation and storage tips tailored to cold climates.


• Efficient workflows and soil health practices that save time, conserve resources, and boost quality.

Drawing on decades of on-farm research, experimentation, and innovation, this beautifully illustrated handbook distills the techniques developed at Quebec's renowned Ferme des Quatre-Temps and Les Jardins de la Grelinette.

Written by Jean-Martin Fortier, bestselling author of The Market Gardener (300,000+ copies sold), and Catherine Sylvestre, director of vegetable production at Ferme des Quatre-Temps, this book offers both inspiration and actionable guidance for farmers, homesteaders, and serious gardeners committed to growing through every season.

If you've ever wondered how to grow vegetables year-round, keep your markets supplied in winter, or design a resilient, climate-smart farm -- this is your field-tested roadmap.

Start building your year-round harvest today -- and turn winter into your most rewarding season yet.

Author Biography

Jean-Martin Fortier is a farmer, author, educator, and advocate for regenerative, human-scale, profitable agriculture. For over 20 years he and his wife Maude-Helene Desroches have operated les Jardins de la Grelinette, a successful 2-acre microfarm. His bestselling book The Market Gardener, which has sold a quarter million copies in nine languages, describes the biointensive principles used at his micro-farm. In 2015, he established a research farm, la Ferme des Quatre-Temps, where he trains apprentices and develops new strategies for market gardening, including year-round production. His methods of production are taught to a worldwide audience through the Market Gardener Masterclass, an online course of the Market Gardener Institute, which is tailored to small-scale food growers. He is the founder of Growers & Co., a tool and apparel company which celebrates sustainable, local, and equitable food producers. Jean-Martin farms and lives in Quebec, Canada.

Catherine Sylvestre is the director of vegetable production at la Ferme des Quatre-Temps, a collaborative farm project inspired by the principles of ecological polyculture and regenerative agriculture. Leader of the market garden team, she trains program participants and develops and implements best practices for cold season growing, specializing in crop protection and greenhouse production for northern climates. She is also technical advisor at the Market Gardener Institute, where she studies and teaches organic agriculture. In addition to her field experience, Catherine has a BSc in Ecological Agriculture and Professional Agrology and a Master's degree in Political Science. Her academic focus has been the rich and complex relationship between human beings and nature, which meets in agriculture. Through her research, writing, and training, Catherine hopes to provide other farmers and market gardeners with the tools and knowledge to produce their own successful winter harvests. She lives in Quebec, Canada.