ÉPISODE 2 : Visite des serres d'une microferme maraîchère

What does a thriving bio-intensive market garden greenhouse look like at peak season? Take a walk through our production tunnels and see exactly how we grow more on less land. Episode 2 of our ongoing series exploring Les Jardins de la Valette in full swing — this time, we're stepping inside the greenhouses in active production. About our farm: Les Jardins de la Valette is a small-scale market garden in Aveyron, France, operating since 2012. On less than 5,000 m² (just over 1 acre), we use bio-intensive growing methods — permanent raised beds on a standardized, optimized system — all certified organic. About this channel: This channel is dedicated to sharing our bio-intensive market gardening practices, from soil prep to harvest, in real working conditions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ USEFUL LINKS: TRAINING & COURSES https://www.lesjardinsdelavalette.com... WEBSITE https://www.lesjardinsdelavalette.com... FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... INSTAGRAM   / lesjardinsdelavalette   ___________________________________________________ Our Story Les Jardins de la Valette were born in 2012 on my grandparents' land in a small French village. I didn't grow up in market gardening — my grandparents were farmers, but I studied electrical engineering before feeling the pull back to something more grounded. At 25, I went back to school, trained in nursery work, then traveled and worked on farms across Australia and New Zealand, where I discovered permaculture and Eliot Coleman — one of the pioneers of bio-intensive growing. After that, I continued studying horticulture, and during my training I had the chance to intern at Les Jardins de la Grelinette in Québec in 2010 — a turning point that shaped everything. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Bio-Intensive Market Gardening on a Small Scale This method draws inspiration from 19th-century French market gardeners. In one sentence: grow less land, grow more food. The core idea is to cultivate a smaller footprint than most farms — but to work it intensively. Bio-intensive growing doesn't require a tractor, which frees up space and allows more vegetables per square meter. Heavy compost inputs (just like those 19th-century growers) further boost yields per m². Every inch of available space is put to work throughout the season, supported by a rigorous crop planning calendar. To stay organized and maximize efficiency, the garden is divided into identical blocks rotating on a 7-year cycle. Each block is subdivided into permanent 75 cm beds — 126 beds of 20 m each — totaling just under 5,000 m². Soil work is done at surface level only — no deeper than 8 cm — to preserve soil biology and let earthworms do the deeper work. We prep beds with a rotary harrow on a walk-behind tractor (our only motorized tool). Beds are permanent and never walked on, protecting soil structure year-round. Massive organic matter inputs (up to 100 tonnes/hectare of compost) build and sustain long-term soil fertility. All other tasks — weeding, harvesting — are done by hand. "By hand" doesn't mean primitive: over the past decade, many companies have developed highly effective manual tools. We use wheel hoes, electric micro-cultivators, and more. Constant attention and refinement go into every daily task. This system — brought back into the spotlight by Eliot Coleman and J.M. Fortier, co-founder of Les Jardins de la Grelinette — is an ecologically sound model that never loses sight of profitability and crop goals. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Want to discover more about our microfarm and how we grow? 👉 https://www.lesjardinsdelavalette.com... If you found this useful, hit the like button and subscribe — and ring the bell so you never miss a new episode from the farm. 🔔