In Lodève (Hérault), Pascal Poot grows tomatoes without watering or pesticides, with a yield three times higher than that of conventional agriculture.
Having always lived in the south of France, he understands that without chemical treatment, plants learn to defend themselves against insects and diseases. Twenty years ago, he started sowing tomato seeds from old varieties, germinated them in a greenhouse for a month on a pile of manure. He cleared a few parcels and planted the seeds a month later. The first year, the tomatoes, not treated and not watered, were very small. He kept the grains and planted them again. The next year, he obtained very nice fruits.
According to Poot, “the plants transmit to their seeds what they have learned during their life cycle. They improve year after year.”
Today, the demand for his seeds is so high that he sells them all over the world, from Togo to New Caledonia. He achieves a record yield without using water or chemical input, only thanks to the quality of his seeds. “I harvest the tomatoes as late as possible, until December or the beginning of January, because the longer they have lived, the longer they have learned. Now, they will be able to withstand the summer drought, the autumn floods and the first frost. They are more robust and contain 10 to 20 times more vitamins, antioxidants and polyphenols than conventional or hybrid varieties.”
While conventional agriculture produces 22 lbs of tomatoes for 10 square feet, he obtains more than 66 lbs. He also grows lettuce, zucchini, squash, onions and eggplants. He has 200 varieties of tomatoes and 100 varieties of vegetables on his website Le Potager Santé.
Source: parismatch.com