Merriam-Webster defines jack-of-all-trades as “a person who has many skills; a person who can do many different jobs.”
Tim Nichols of Scott Depot fits that definition to a tee. He is not only a “can do,” though — he is also a “has done.”
Nichols has been a soldier, a preacher, and a writer. A therapist, a professor, and a firearms instructor. He has even played the role of a mad scientist to educate and entertain children.
Jack-of-all-trades he is. And to each of his pursuits, Nichols brings the same intentionality and thoughtfulness that characterizes him.
It is no different with Earthy Goods, his newest venture. Established just this spring, Earthy Goods sells fresh garden produce, scroll saw artwork, and “worm tea” (which shall be explained forthwith).
More important to Nichols than the financial aspect of his business is the good he wants to do in the community and for the earth.
“Right now, Earthy Goods is one man raising earthworms and vegetables and making some scroll saw artwork and offering these wares to his neighbors,” Nichols says. “My hope is to train other veteran farmers who will add worm tea to what they already produce.”
His plan to train other farmers in the use of worm tea has already been implemented, as Nichols holds backyard workshops for interested organic gardeners.
Culloden resident Jerill Vance is one of Nichols’ happy customers.
“I live on a 50-acre farm and have raised a large garden that feeds three families for the past 17 years,” Vance states. “Although I am retired now, part of my job as a technician at UCC/DOW Tech Center was to conduct experiments and record, interpret, and analyze data. That made me a good candidate to test Tim’s worm tea.”
Worm “tea” is basically a euphemism for … well, let’s leave it to Nichols to describe it.
“I raise a species of earthworm (Eisenia Fetida) that specializes in consuming organic matter near the surface of the soil in nature,” he explains. “I feed them nutrient-rich plants — in addition to egg shells and kitchen waste — inside of bins, where they are protected from natural predators. This allows me to harvest pure worm castings (poop), loaded with natural organic growth.”
He continues, “The castings are teeming with microbes that are extremely useful in the soil, so using the castings in the garden is a very, very good thing.”
Making worm tea takes those castings to the next level, though.
“When I add the fresh castings to unchlorinated water, add a food source for the microbes, and oxygenate the brew for 24 to 36 hours, I nurture a concoction in which the beneficial microbes have experienced a population explosion and are ready to feed on the organic matter in the soil.”
And this worm tea concoction works, according to Jerill Vance.
“This year, my tomato plants, corn plants and onions are the largest I have ever raised,” he says. “My plants are much larger and darker green than any of my neighbor’s gardens. The corn and tomato plants have larger stalks than what I have raised in the past as well.”
The process by which Nichols discovered the benefits of worm tea certainly didn’t happen overnight. It has been a result of years of research and trial-and-error.
“I’ve been doing organic gardening since the late ‘70s,” he recalls, “when I first discovered that I could turn leaves, weeds, and kitchen waste into a rich, dark, living soil amendment that, when incorporated into garden soil, creates an environment in which plants thrive.”
Since then, no matter what he was doing — preaching, counseling, soldiering — Nichols has always had a garden. And he has cherished the soil.
“I actually pay more attention to the soil than to the plants,” he admits. “The soil nurtures the plants, and healthy plants resist damage from pests and diseases.”
This jack-of-all-trades — who speaks Italian fluently and has a beautiful bass singing voice — refers to the soil as “black gold” and his work with it as “organic alchemy.”
Perhaps not surprisingly, he found few people who were as enthusiastic about dirt and worm poop as he.
But when a surgery in 2019 went awry and Nichols was sidelined with physical limitations, he had time to search out other enthusiasts.
“I’ve begun to connect recently with folks in the Putnam County Master Gardeners, the new (in formation) chapter of the Farmer Veteran Coalition, and in an “agri therapy” program for veterans held at the Huntington VA.”
Jerill Vance was certainly a kindred spirit, and one who was game to experiment with worm tea.
“I was intrigued with worm tea because it is a fertilizer as well as a soil amendment,” Vance explains. “With the farm animal manure tea I have used in the past, care had to be taken to ensure you don’t burn the plants. That is not an issue with worm tea. I also find it easy to dilute and apply manually.”
He adds, “I would recommend this product to anyone who enjoys gardening and will take the time to mix and apply the worm tea. Anyone can produce in a small area without a large financial investment. The benefits are worth the effort!”
Nichols certainly thinks so, too.
“I want to provide local growers with an opportunity to experience the beneficial effects of worm tea, so I host workshops at my home. I also offer my worm tea at the Putnam Farmers Market, along with some of the vegetables nourished by it.”
He adds, “Because sealing my tea in containers and shipping it would result in the death of billions of beneficial microbes, we only provide it to the customer fresh.”
Thoughtfulness for microbes in the soil is one way this jack-of-all-trades shows love for his community and the earth.
“If the Earthy Goods label appears on products,” he says, “it means that a good deal of time, thought, and effort has gone into their production.”
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