06/10/2026
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JIM'S WRITTEN A BOOK.
Kakanui gardener Jim O'Gorman has written a book — "It's taken 30 years of research. . ." he tells me. Jim did several jobs — including looking after the produce department at Countdown — before devoting himself to the soil — and growing vegetables. Both Cucina and Del Mar use Jim's produce and it was singled out for the royal palate when (the then) Prince Charles visited NZ.
The book is available from Paper Plus.
Here's a bit more about a quite famous Oamaruvian who you may not have heard of.
"Jim O’Gorman is a New Zealander whose life’s work is aimed at solving some of the big problems of our times: topsoil loss and land degradation.
Jim, who’s been dubbed “the Dirt Doctor”, grows superb vegetables and researches soil care and remediation. His research lab is a tiny 0.57-ha property at Kakanui, a small village on the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island, north of Dunedin. He’s recognised internationally for his research into the technology of building living soil. And his produce is sought by to top chefs all over Aotearoa-New Zealand.
Jim was invited to speak at the Organic World Congress in France in September 2020, but the event was derailed by Covid.
His collaborative, long-term research project documents the use of low-tech, hands-on soil care systems to grow high-quality produce while not just maintaining but improving soil fertility.
He has been growing tomatoes and other vegetables on the same piece of land for two decades. Far from being depleted, the soil is healthier than when he started.
Jim O’Gorman acquired his “Dirt Doctor” title after helping a local brussels sprouts grower resolve his soil fertility problems.
He has featured in various films, including Kathleen Gallagher’s documentary Earth Whisperers Papatūānuku (2009) and Rachel Patching’s documentary “The Dirt Doctor”, screened on BBC Knowledge in 2014."
— Melissa Hackell, May 2021.
