May 15, 2018 DIRT NERD NUANCE OVER NOVELTY: A QUICK COMPOSTING GUIDE Nuance over novelty. I first got the phrase from a podcast and have been internally committed to the notion ever since… well,... Ian Willson
April 9, 2018 DIRT NERD MONOMANIACAL POLYCULTURE Semantics will take you far in this world. Thinking too hard about what plants should go with which other plants will not. Intercropping, companion... Ian Willson
March 7, 2018 DIRT NERD MY LIFE WITH THE EDIBLE FLOWER CULT I came into professional plant care at the tender age of 22, bleary-eyed and hungover most mornings, in an industry that expected me to start... Ian Willson
February 11, 2018 DIRT NERD FREE RANGE PLANTS Plants deserve our respect. Without them we are nothing; we would literally not be here at all. They don’t deserve our respect in an abstract sense,... Ian Willson
December 8, 2017 DIRT NERD SAVE THE BASIL You want to grow basil. If you’ve never grown anything in your life, you want to grow basil. And tomatoes. You want big fat tomatoes and delicious sweet, large... Ian Willson
November 12, 2017 DIRT NERD CUT AND COME AGAIN Plants are resilient organisms, far more capable of surviving and thriving laceration, amputation, decapitation, and all other manner of mangling in a way that... Ian Willson
October 5, 2017 DIRT NERD ROOT DOWN Our dialect is absolutely inundated with analogies and metaphors about roots. The internet taught me that a metaphor that defines one’s perception of reality uses a... Ian Willson
September 10, 2017 DIRT NERD SOW WHAT YOU REAP I envision the natural succession of the food grower to consist of four progressive steps: 1. Plant plants and grow them successfully. 2. Plant seeds and... Ian Willson
July 10, 2017 DEAD AND GONE: A HOLIDAY WEEKEND WITH EKUMEN Ekumen is a band comprised of post-quarter-life-crisis adults. Adam plays guitar; AuraLee sings; Chuck plays guitar; I (Ian) play drums; Josh plays bass. If we have our way (and... Ekumen, Ian Willson
June 12, 2017 DIRT NERD: CALL OUT (AGRI)CULTURE Nobody gets rich growing food. Historically, farming has instead been the crippled back of the masses upon which the wealth of an elite minority is piled. Wealth basically exists... Ian Willson
May 7, 2017 DIRT NERD: EVERYTHING THE LIGHT TOUCHES There’s far too much to take in here, more to find than can ever be found. But the sun rolling high through the sapphire sky keeps great and small on the endless round. —Elton... Ian Willson
April 9, 2017 DIRT NERD: FOR THE BIRDS Last month I rather unceremoniously stated that you should not grow food if you’re not going to eat it. There are plenty of reasons to grow food that extend well beyond your... Ian Willson
