We are pleased to see the publication of Tim Deane’s Nature Notes by Choir Press in conjunction with the Organc Growers Alliance (OGA).
Tim Deane’s Nature Notes, which appeared in the Organic Grower magazine between 2009 and 2021, have now been revised and collected in a single volume. Both light-hearted and informative, these are his reflections from a working life on the land.
Tim has had a long-standing relationship with ORC and was a horticultural adviser for the Organic Advisory Service/Organic Conversion Information Service between 1999 and 2011. Tim and wife Jan have been farming organically in Devon since 1984 and were pioneers of the organic vegetable box – establishing in 1991 the first such scheme to market the entire output of a vegetable holding directly to individual households in this way.
These notes provide a unique window into the nature of a small Devon farm on the fringes of Dartmoor, its fellow inhabitants and passing visitors. It is that empathy, observation, and attention to detail which made Tim such an accomplished grower; a true pioneer of the organic growing movement. Whether you have a garden or farm, or simply care about the environment in which we live, this book will provide a new perspective on the natural world around us.
The foreword is written by Phil Sumption.
Tim’s broad and profound knowledge of nature, the soil and the people who work it is made all the more inspiring by the humility that runs through these beautiful musings. He persuaded me to deliver my first Riverford vegetable box 33 years ago and I can only hope this book will inspire more to follow us both.
Guy Singh-Watson
They are the observations of someone who pays great attention to the particularities and history of the countryside in which they live and it reminds this reviewer of Gilbert White’s classic The Natural History of Selborne.
David Frost, Organic Grower No. 68
Read the full review in The Organic Grower here
Signed (and unsigned) copies are available to purchase directly from the author here
