Home > Start Here

Farming course for beginners

Start Your Market Gardener Journey Here

The Market Gardening Method + Your First 8 Profitables Field Crops

Beginner Farming Course

Start Your Market Gardener Journey Here

The Market Gardening Method + Your First 8 Profitables Field Crops.

Not a Dream. A Method.

What Does It Take to Become a Market Gardener?

The hardest part of becoming a market gardener isn’t the growing. It’s knowing where to begin.

Most aspiring growers spend months piecing together advice from the internet, watching YouTube videos, reading inspiring stories, and still feel like they don’t have enough picture of what the job actually looks like. The techniques. The economics. The daily reality.

Nobody gave them the math.

This course is the foundation overview. It covers how a real, profitable 1 acre farm actually works, from soil to sales, and then puts that knowledge directly into practice with the 8 most profitable field crops that anchor a successful small-scale operation.
This isn’t inspiration. It’s a method.

THE JOURNEY STARTS HERE

Understand the full system

Get a clear, honest overview of what it takes to build and run a bio-intensive market garden from the ground up.

Decide with Clarity

Before you quit your job, sign a lease, or plant a single seed: know exactly what you're getting into.

Think like a pro

Learn that proper crop planning, site design, and production strategies are what separate farms that last from ones that burn out by season two.

Grow with confidence

Step-by-step itineraries for the 8 most profitable field crops, so you finish with real, applicable knowledge, not just concepts.

Who is this course for ?

The First-Gen Farmer

No family farm, no agricultural background. You want to know if there's a real, viable path forward.

The Career Changer

Your current job pays the bills but lacks meaning. You need an honest picture of what farming actually involves before you make any move.

The Curious Mind

You've followed the farms, read the stories. Now you want to understand how the model actually works, economically and technically.

The Serious Beginner

You've made your decision. You're not here for inspiration. You're here for the method and the foundation to take your first steps with confidence.

What's Inside the Course

Modules

0 +

Videos

0 +

TECH SHEETS

0 +

Ebook

MODULE 1

Welcome

Welcome to the fascinating world of small-scale biointensive farming! First things first: in this lesson, we will share the goals and intentions of this course.

MODULE 2

The Biointensive Microfarm

Changing the world requires taking a different approach. In this lesson, you will discover the guiding principles of vegetable microfarming and the advantages of the human-scale farming model.

Module content

MODULE 3

Site Selection and Design

Selecting a site for your farm is an important decision that will have a strong impact on your work and quality of life. In this lesson, you will grasp everything you need to consider when choosing and designing your site.

Module content

MODULE 4

Crop Planning

Planning and calculating your production effectively is essential in running a successful farm. In this lesson, you will learn techniques to maximize space and time for continuous production.

Module content

MODULE 5

Starting Seeds

Starting seeds is a crucial step in the vegetable production process. Farmers need to understand the growth cycle of each crop in order to produce an abundance of high-quality vegetables. In this lesson, you will understand the role and functioning of a nursery.

Module content

MODULE 6

Soil & Fertility

Minimal tillage is one of the fundamental principles of regenerative farming. Thriving microorganisms in the soil support the fertility necessary to produce an abundance of high-quality vegetables, year after year. In this lesson, you will learn techniques that promote the development of life in the soil.

Module content

MODULE 7

Weeding

Weed management is a lot of work and it’s time-consuming. Adopting the right tools and techniques will make this tedious task more manageable. In this lesson, we will discuss the best organic practices for weed control.

Module content

MODULE 8

Crop Protection

Once you’ve successfully prepared your beds, grown seedlings, and transplanted, your next challenge will be managing diseases and pests. In this lesson, we will discuss the different lines of defense available to ensure successful, healthy harvests

Module content

MODULE 9

Season Extension

With simple shelters, it’s possible to grow vegetables during cooler months and arrive at markets with fresh, local vegetables not yet available anywhere else. In this lesson, you will learn how to grow vegetables earlier in spring and into the winter.

Module content

MODULE 10

Harvest & Conditioning

It’s time to harvest the fruits of your labor! The art of market gardening focuses on growing great crops, but you also need to know how to keep your vegetables fresh until they’re in your customers’ hands. In this lesson, you will discover proper harvesting and conditioning techniques.

Module content

MODULE 11

Selling Your Produce

Optimizing your sales and distribution channels will help you make a decent living from all of your hard work in the field. In this lesson, we will examine the main outlets for selling directly to consumers.

Module content

MODULE 12

8 Most Profitable Field Crops

Fresh Carrots (2 parts)
Beets
Salad Turnips
Radishes
Mesclun Mix
Spinach
Arugula
Little Gem Lettuce

Module content

Closing Words

Working in human-scale agriculture is not always easy, but it is the most rewarding job in the world. Whether you’re starting your own farm or training on farms that follow this model, it’s important to remember that you are helping to build a better world.

Bonus

Two ebooks included in the course:

Small Farms Feed The World
5 Things to Know Before Starting a Small Farm

How the Course Works?

Learn Online, Apply in the Field

Once you enroll, you get immediate lifetime access to all video tutorials, technical sheets, and quizzes on any device, at your own pace.

Video tutorials

Professional, field-tested instruction for every module and every crop

Detailed technical sheets

Printable reference material you'll actually use in the field

Quizzes

Reinforce what you've learned at each stage

Any device, anytime

Smartphone, tablet, desktop

Learn From the Grower Who Wrote the Book

Meet Your Teacher :

Jean-Martin Fortier

FARMER, EDUCATOR AND AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR

Since launching The Market Gardener in 2012, now with over 250,000 copies sold worldwide, JM Fortier has become one of the most recognized voices in small-scale organic farming. Over 25 years of farming and 10,000+ growers trained later, his mission remains the same: give the next generation of farmers the tools to build a profitable, professional operation from the ground up.

What Growers Are Saying

Trusted by 10,000+ Farmers Worldwide

“Everything I learned about growing vegetables comes 100% from JM Fortier. Everything grows to perfection, and our clients are extremely happy.”

– Alexandre L’Heureux, The Happy Farm, Canada

“You can find so much information on the internet — so many resources, it’s hard to know what to trust. Having one reliable place for detailed strategies that have been tested and proven makes a real difference.”

– Yara Dowani, Om Sleiman Farm, Palestine

“A solid foundation for understanding what you’re really getting into when considering starting your own micro farm.”

– Anny Dominguez

One Investment. A Complete Foundation.

This course gives you the full bio-intensive market gardening method overview plus step-by-step production itineraries for the 8 most profitable field crops, everything you need to start with clarity and confidence.

Value of $448 USD

$149 USD

Safe payments with Stripe or Paypal

Frequently Asked Questions About the Course

I have zero farming experience. Will I be lost?

Not at all. This course was built specifically for people who haven’t started yet. No prior experience required. If you can follow a plan, you can follow this.

I have zero farming experience. Will I be lost?

Not at all. This course was built specifically for people who haven’t started yet. No prior experience required. If you can follow a plan, you can follow this.

What will I actually be able to do after this course?

You’ll understand how a profitable bio-intensive market garden works end to end, and you’ll have the technical knowledge to grow 8 high-revenue crops from seed to market. You’ll also have a clear, honest sense of whether professional farming is the right path for you.

How much time does it take?

Around 4 hours of content total. Self-paced, so you can go through it on your schedule. The real time investment comes when you apply it.

Is this the same as the Masterclass?

No. This is the foundation, the starting point before you go deep. For a comprehensive, full-scale program covering tools, business planning, greenhouse production, season extension, and advanced growing techniques, the Masterclass Certificate is the next step.

Not Ready Yet ?

Not Ready

Stay in the loop! Get growing insights, course updates, and honest advice from JM Fortier straight to your inbox. No fluff. Just the good stuff.

Yet ?