Ruth Stout - Deep Mulch Gardening Experiment - Part 1

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ธ.ค. 2024

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  • @blueeyedbehr
    @blueeyedbehr 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    1. ruth stout was a cousin of mine, and i use her techniques frequently.
    2. use straw, not hay. hay contains seeds that will be problematic later.
    3. in late fall, mow the yard just after the leaves have fallen, using the mower as a shredder, and spread the grass/leaf mixture directly onto your flowerbeds, piling it over the tenderer bulbs such as cannas, colocasias, and purple jew so they'll be protected and sprout the next winter. the mixture will smother weeds, insulate roots, and break down the next year into wonderful fertilizer.
    you dont have to rely solely on straw. but ruth was older, and they didnt have mulching lawn mowers like they do now, but the principle is the same.

  • @ticketyboo43
    @ticketyboo43 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    when i used hay bales i did not bother fluffing it, i just took 6 to 8" thick pads and laid them down, under some i put potatoes and other planted seeds in between the pads, works with very little effort, great for picking potatoes when they are nice and small and clean

    • @bobbiejean864
      @bobbiejean864 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      My husband and I just put down hay last month. He kept sneezing (and works full time) and I am in heart failure. I keep looking for the easiest gardening methods. We didn't fluff ours either and I wasn't sure how it would work. Thank you for this comment, gives me more hope for success this spring!

    • @jessrouse8475
      @jessrouse8475 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      No one wants small potatoes though !!

  • @boscodiogigia
    @boscodiogigia 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Nice job!

  • @katiescalamities9002
    @katiescalamities9002 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    This was the first video of yours I watched and I remember being so scared that Todd was going to chop his leg off with that mattock lol Love your channel and how you share as you go!

  • @alittlesouthwindfarm3074
    @alittlesouthwindfarm3074 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Weve done this past couple of years every year is better. I love her book her sense of humor and sacasm makes me chuckle. Ive got a couple pics on a video i posted of pictures on a slide show.

    • @1870s
      @1870s  5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      That's what I'm hoping for, I figured by the time I retire my systems should be at their prime!

    • @alittlesouthwindfarm3074
      @alittlesouthwindfarm3074 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@1870s Great idea. I do put some rabbit manure in too. My soil has alot of clay so its really improved over the years. Her book i believe is called Ruth Stout The No work Garden Book. I remember seeing the book in my moms library as a child and a client gave one to me a couple years ago. Its a good read.

  • @galeharris6696
    @galeharris6696 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I've tried Ruth Stout once, but it was the year Vermont got flooded badly, so I didn't get anything. I would like to try doing this again next year, if I can be sure my straw is organic. That's such a dealbreaker these days! Ruth was born in 1884, and she died in 1980, so she had a lovely long life. RIP, Ruth!💝

  • @eveliahuazo1671
    @eveliahuazo1671 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Felicidades desde Hidalgo México...2 años despues.
    Excelente trabajo 😘

  • @barbcarroll9285
    @barbcarroll9285 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I use straw also over compost. It's working great and so easy.

  • @master6676
    @master6676 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I use a pitchfork to break my bales up it works really good.

  • @jessrouse8475
    @jessrouse8475 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Who is Ruth stout?? This is fascinating. I think my great grandparents grew potatoes this way back in Ireland

  • @sandyferrell7492
    @sandyferrell7492 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Oh I think y’all did great can’t wait to see your garden grow!!!

    • @1870s
      @1870s  6 ปีที่แล้ว

      Thanks Sandy, me too

  • @BanDanaGramma
    @BanDanaGramma 6 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    I love Ruth Stout's books, and I've mentioned her method (similar to and forerunner of Paul Gautche's Back To Eden method) in one of my videos too. Wasn't she a CHARACTER?? Into her 80's she was still demonstrating her easy gardening methods. Are you also taking part in her yearly Ruth Stout Naked Gardening Day? I think I'll spare my neighbors and resist. LOL

    • @1870s
      @1870s  6 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Oh yeah I think I'll forego my own personal embarrassment! I do love her though, wish there were more documentaries of her work and thoughts

    • @gelwood99
      @gelwood99 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I think her way worked because she piled the hay so thick it smothered the underneath. Also that she continued to pile it on feeding the microorganisms underneath increasing the tilth of the soil. Over the years it continues to improve never truly being completely disturbed. This is based on the videos I have been able to find and on the many Rondales Organic Gardening Magazines( I gifted my dad the subscriptions many years ago and read them cover to cover many times. LOL actually he passed last year and there were still issues in the bathroom closet by the toilet). I also remember the articles of her. Also, there were a few spare videos of her work on the PBS Victory Garden and Eliot Coleman's shows. I loved the old stuff on PBS tv way back then! Bottom line, once you start this, don't stop but continue to plop those leaves of hay over the ground and the weeds will stop and the earth will sing. I am starting my garden again this year with her method. I am getting a cheap round hay bale and piling it up to start and it will sit until time for the fall stuff and it will be ready for the next spring stuff.

    • @1870s
      @1870s  6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I will definitely keep it going, thanks for the awesome comment so many good references to check out

    • @bethaddis4377
      @bethaddis4377 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      Bandana gam. Ha you mentioned Tim aka forerunner. His gardens are pretty awesome.

  • @chichestermaritime8174
    @chichestermaritime8174 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Sue
    I live in a 10A zone in Portugal and have used this method for years in my 8x4ft raised beds. I use straw and it breaks down over the year. What straw is left at the end of the season is gathered up and I take out a central trench in each of the beds then bury the old straw with chicken pellets and coffee grounds for nitrogen, then seal the bed with the soil I dug out and top it off with another layer of straw mulch. The winter rains get everything rotting well and the following summer it holds sufficient water to give each bed a reservoir which prevents blossom end rot on tomatoes and peppers. I use seep irrigation beneath the straw which prevents evaporation as well as suppressing weeds. It also evens out the bed temperature as we get a 20C difference between day and night. It's practically impossible to grow potatoes during our hot summer but with the Ruth Stout method, and watering at dawn whilst the water is at its coldest, I can keep the soil temperature below the crucial 25C. I also direct compost kitchen scraps beneath the straw throughout the year. They break down in no time.

    • @1870s
      @1870s  5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Sounds like you have a super process! Do you have a channel? I'd love to see videos on your process!

    • @chichestermaritime8174
      @chichestermaritime8174 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@1870s
      Sadly no I don't have a channel. The method is very flexible and practically any mulch will work. I tried hay, like Ruth Stout, but it came with so many weed seeds it was a problem, so I buy 'clean' straw and let the bales sit for as long as possible before use. We have sufficient ground that I can buy 40 bales a year which is way too many but by the time I need them they're partly broken down. Good luck.

  • @joycejudd5109
    @joycejudd5109 6 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    oh I wish you had used hay...we did straw the 2nd time (the man delivering "thought he knew better" and my hubby wasn't quite as pointed as I would have been :-) ) we discovered there's a complete difference in how each of them breaks down. I now have a source for round "spent hay" bales. I got 4... Try your next bed with old hay - we got "last years" at a very good rate. See the difference. Our straw just never broke down...we ended up putting into a separate area...

    • @1870s
      @1870s  6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I do think I have a source just down the road, I'll certainly see if I can get some. Thank you for your experienced advice it truly is appreciated!

    • @Marialla.
      @Marialla. 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Joyce, hay might break down differently, but straw is a very valid mulch material for the Ruth Stout method. Leaves would work as well. Stout herself said so in her books. The point is not primarily to break down the mulch into compost. The point is for the mulch to prevent the growth of weeds, and to retain soil moisture. Soil enrichment has a lot to do with earthworm activity in the early stages of this method, rather than composting of the mulch material. In fact, Stout also said that any material too dry to compost quickly would "just remain wonderful mulch for that much longer!"

    • @thetacountry4487
      @thetacountry4487 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      Marialla your a straw nazi

    • @Marialla.
      @Marialla. 6 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Don't be ridiculous. I just know straw works. I don't think it's the only good mulch. I like to help people see the important principles behind mulching so they can use whatever they want, and not be locked in to one thing.

    • @keya31gville
      @keya31gville 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Joyce Judd I didn't know about this straw vs hay thing at all. Lol I had some spolied straw sitting around and a year later I am using it... Yep straw stays unbothered for a longgggggggg time, glad I found you guys now

  • @rivenfae
    @rivenfae 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I did try this our first year out here many years ago, not as deep and not in a sunny location (it was our first year and not much cleared yet). So our results while we got potatoes we didn't get as many as we should have. I do think unless you're using the bales to shelter over wintering crops you probably could leave them loose all winter.

    • @1870s
      @1870s  6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Your right, but we had been using these bales around our chicken run all winter to protect them a bit from snow drifts and high winds. But the garden has priority now so if we get a freak spring winter storm the chickens are just gonna have to deal with it, lol

  • @HeartinessApproach
    @HeartinessApproach 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Marvelous. Both Jim and I, went...Whoa...That is great. We are doing that. Thank you. Can't wait to see it grow and can't wait to do it.

    • @1870s
      @1870s  6 ปีที่แล้ว

      I put a link in the description of the video to an old interview with Ruth, it's a great watch if you have time

  • @RoseRose-cw5be
    @RoseRose-cw5be 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Do you plant the starts in the earth or just deep into the hay/straw?

  • @ebenezercottagegarden
    @ebenezercottagegarden 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Hi, did you find you had any wheat or anything similar sprouting up in the area afterwards? I'm wondering if there were seeds in the hay bails?

  • @tarapaul8212
    @tarapaul8212 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I just planted my potatoes in straw for first time too, most of our snow is gone. Hope this works!

    • @1870s
      @1870s  6 ปีที่แล้ว

      Me too

  • @largefamilyruralliving7434
    @largefamilyruralliving7434 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Enjoyed the video, thanks for linking to her video too. very interesting

    • @1870s
      @1870s  6 ปีที่แล้ว

      Your welcome, I'm a bit late getting potatoes in the ground but will do this weekend!

  • @Dr.JulieJames
    @Dr.JulieJames 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Ruth Stout born 1884 died in1980 she lived 104yrs and didn't start her no work gardening at 45..

  • @reja1309
    @reja1309 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Where I live, straw bales are ~$20 or more IF you can get them and IF you can get the long pieces instead of scrappy and seedy left overs. Hay is way more $ and seedy too but easier to find. That's a lot of input cost plus transportation cost if you can't haul yourself. I've been reduced to pretty much using whatever prunings and mowed up leaves/grass I have in my yard.

  • @livingoutsidethebubble
    @livingoutsidethebubble 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I'm 4 minutes in and keep hoping you are going to cover the raised beds with it as well. They look so bare and cold.:-)

    • @jspyrogram
      @jspyrogram 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      I just use hay in my raised beds. The bed serves as an edge.

  • @patriciablair2012
    @patriciablair2012 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    🧡💛🧡💜💙 look at the hubby ready to lend a hand!

  • @Richards.A.
    @Richards.A. 6 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Just read ruth stouts book and hoping to do this too.

    • @1870s
      @1870s  6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I need to get her books, do you have one to recommend?

    • @teleguy5699
      @teleguy5699 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@1870s"Gardening Without Work: For the Aging, the Busy, and the Indolent". Just started reading it, but it gets great reviews.

  • @reneep9968
    @reneep9968 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Looks great so far. Blessings...

    • @1870s
      @1870s  6 ปีที่แล้ว

      Thank you Renee

  • @prayerangel1
    @prayerangel1 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    You'll be glad you added the compost. Straw has very little nutrition in it, as the nutritional part of the plant was harvested as grains. You may want to use hay, which is FULL of nutrition down the entire stem of the plant and attracts worms like crazy. Leaves also make a great nutritional addition to a spud bed done in compost/hay method. If you don't get the expected results, it could be due to the use of the straw rather than hay.

    • @1870s
      @1870s  6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yep, I figured as much now that I have the goats and PIGS coming soon I'll have a better source to continue to grow this bed into a more nutrious growing medium.

  • @LoraCreates
    @LoraCreates 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I'm trying to source straw for my garden and am concerned about herbicides used by the farmer. Can anyone tell me how they source straw that does not have herbicides?
    I'm in Chandler, Arizona

  • @MrKen-longrangegrdhogeliminato
    @MrKen-longrangegrdhogeliminato 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Please let us all know how it turned out. And thankyou for sharing this wonderful idea! ........................Ken & Beverly.

    • @1870s
      @1870s  6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Mr. Ken 6.5-06 longrange grdhog eliminator Miller will do, they are coming up so I'll get out there and film something real quick

  • @laurie9377
    @laurie9377 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Is it straw or hay?

  • @norxgirl1
    @norxgirl1 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    I used spent straw bales last year, some already wet....put on nitrogen fertilizer and watered to break them down....lots of mushrooms....grew tomatoes....did well....first experiment with used straw bales.....

    • @1870s
      @1870s  5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Sounds great I'm gonna try tomatoes in it this year

  • @susannastephens1177
    @susannastephens1177 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    You changed what you said twice so is ut straw or hay? Whats the difference n why is ??? Used instead of the other?

    • @1870s
      @1870s  4 ปีที่แล้ว

      I used straw, Ruth Stout uses hay. I stick with straw because hay tends to have alot of seed in it and I didn't want to fight weeds, but hay also has more nutrients than straw.

  • @stacybriggs5149
    @stacybriggs5149 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    I thank i May try this how is the winter sowing going I am behind on videos husband is ill and I work a lot

    • @1870s
      @1870s  6 ปีที่แล้ว

      My broccoli and cauliflower is coming up, we showed some pics on one of our last live streams, but nothing else is coming up.

  • @RestorationAcresTN
    @RestorationAcresTN 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    How do you keep the straw or hey from sprouting the seed heads in it?

    • @1870s
      @1870s  2 ปีที่แล้ว

      If something sprouts, I flip it over. The spring rains help it all to "rot" a little bit.

  • @howardzeller3526
    @howardzeller3526 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Can I use Timothy hay?

  • @CHEBENOUES
    @CHEBENOUES 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    I did not understand where and how he sowed the potatoes. I saw the whole video, but where are the potatoes for planting?

  • @michaeldavidson9939
    @michaeldavidson9939 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Regarding the hay versus straw debate; although both will work, ideally you would use hay made from grass that has not started setting seed yet. When grasses set seed, a lot of the fertility nutrients translocate into the seed heads, leaving the stems inferior in composition. Garden soil will enrich faster using quality hay.

    • @Vscustomprinting
      @Vscustomprinting 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      always someone who wants to do it "faster".. straw is great

  • @Marialla.
    @Marialla. 6 ปีที่แล้ว +29

    For all the hay nazis who insist that straw cannot be a good mulching material for the Ruth Stout method, please know (from one who has tried it) that the increased earthworm activity more than makes up for slower decomposition of the straw itself. And if you cannot accept my word as a mere commentor, try reading "The One Straw Revolution" by Masanobu Fukuoka to learn how he used straw to enrich his rice and barley fields in a method very similar to Ruth Stout's.

    • @thetacountry4487
      @thetacountry4487 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      Marialla I’m a hay nazi

    • @Marialla.
      @Marialla. 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Too bad for you.

    • @Gunns57
      @Gunns57 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Hay or straw? I hate it when people use both terms. They are vastly different. Are you using hay or straw?

    • @1870s
      @1870s  5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      We've actually used both. But in general we prefer straw. Less of a chance for weeds

    • @richardbellsr2345
      @richardbellsr2345 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I use 1,600 pound bales of hay, I got 7 of them for free from a neighboring ranch, I feed all my live stock alfalfa so I mix the manure in with the grass hay! I will be getting another 10 1,600 pound bales this year and I'm on good terms with the neighboring ranch so I'm just going to get as much as I can until I'm knee high in rich soil lol

  • @zizimycat
    @zizimycat 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    It’s so sad that we can no longer find farmers who make small bales of hay.

    • @jayulllnelson6097
      @jayulllnelson6097 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      If you ever baled small square bales you'd know why. A lot of work, a lot

  • @LuluLovesRollerDerby
    @LuluLovesRollerDerby 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Love this video!

    • @1870s
      @1870s  4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Glad you enjoyed it, there is a whole series on it in our playlist.

  • @nancybrowning3380
    @nancybrowning3380 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    is it hay or straw, keep hearing u call it both. very interested in trying this, but need accurate info. thank you

    • @1870s
      @1870s  5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Ruth Stout used old hay, I used straw, hay tends to have more seed in it

    • @nancybrowning3380
      @nancybrowning3380 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@1870s thank you

  • @TaylorRaine
    @TaylorRaine 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    wow! This is great info!

  • @tamarawheeldon1060
    @tamarawheeldon1060 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Very interesting! I want to try this!

    • @1870s
      @1870s  6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I'm hopeful it will work

  • @USAFSamy
    @USAFSamy 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you for the informative video. I am very interested in the Ruth Stout method of potato growing but have just discovered it. Is there any way you might suggest that I'll still be able to use the method even though I wasn't able to prep the ground this past fall? (We live in Zone 4 - MN, so there's snow on the ground now.)

    • @1870s
      @1870s  5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Oh yes! Last year I prepped my beds in late winter.

  • @6996katmom
    @6996katmom 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Speaking of woodpeckers--We have some red-headed ones and they crack me up. I hear them in the morning and late evenings. They try to poke their holes in the top of the telephone pole. I guess they don't have much luck, but they keep trying.

  • @valeried4504
    @valeried4504 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Nice work...

    • @1870s
      @1870s  6 ปีที่แล้ว

      Thanks!

  • @HeritageFarmsTexas
    @HeritageFarmsTexas 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Wish I had learned about this method years ago.

    • @1870s
      @1870s  5 ปีที่แล้ว

      It's so great make sure to check out the results video

  • @paulsaxby7579
    @paulsaxby7579 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thats how a proper bloke breaks up a bale... No messing about trying to do it by hand, just get the biggest pick axe in the shed and give the bale a good hiding.. :)

    • @1870s
      @1870s  5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      They sat outside all winter in the rain / snow. And still partially frozen "blocks" when we broke them up 😬

  • @levieuxmoulin4477
    @levieuxmoulin4477 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    hi.. compost should be under the mulch. and I didn't read Ruth Stout book, but you need to use hay instead of straw. hay is well balanced with carbon/azote, but straw is almost only carbon. and vegetables need a good balance of both, to grow well.

    • @1870s
      @1870s  6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Why the title of the video was experiment. I addressed both things during the video, why I was using straw and not hay and why I top dressed with compost. My results video is up if you want to see how it worked

  • @tiffanybeatty961
    @tiffanybeatty961 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Good vid

  • @travelinthru9519
    @travelinthru9519 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Should of done that in the fall !

    • @1870s
      @1870s  5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Of course. It gets better every years. Had to start somewhere 😄

  • @henrik.45brasil.19
    @henrik.45brasil.19 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Familha legal.

  • @HUERTADELCAMPO
    @HUERTADELCAMPO 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    La única en español por aquí soy yo? Traducción por favor!

    • @glo001yt1
      @glo001yt1 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Estaría bueno, a menos que no quieran que sepamos lo que dicen porque lo guardan en secreto...jajaja

  • @henrik.45brasil.19
    @henrik.45brasil.19 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Ola . Meu nome Henrique. Brasil . Rio de Janeiro- City Araruama RJ. Show 😎👍

  • @mariaelenarubilaryanez9339
    @mariaelenarubilaryanez9339 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    In spanish please!!

    • @1870s
      @1870s  4 ปีที่แล้ว

      I'm sorry I don't speak Spanish

  • @keya31gville
    @keya31gville 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Dude with that pick axe is scaring Mike Myers!!

  • @bikinggal1
    @bikinggal1 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    darn.. I thought the Ruth Stout method was with Hay not Straw...

    • @1870s
      @1870s  5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      She did use hay, I just didn't have access to any old hay, but I do now with my goats!!

    • @jamesdevlin6373
      @jamesdevlin6373 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Hay, straw, cardboard, it's all good, and if you can add some seaweed, rock dust, biochar, manure, old leaves, king stropharia mushroom spawn, and huggle style branches underneath even better.
      But whatever you can get your hands on.

  • @shfrederick1
    @shfrederick1 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    You two are so romantic!

  • @milliebanks7209
    @milliebanks7209 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    I don't that Ruth hilled her potatoes with hay or soil. Maybe we both should go back to the source again.

    • @1870s
      @1870s  3 ปีที่แล้ว

      She absolutely hilled her potatoes with hay

  • @kevinmccool1600
    @kevinmccool1600 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Keep clear of that fella with the mattock....he's a danger!

    • @1870s
      @1870s  4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Lol

  • @travelinthru9519
    @travelinthru9519 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Look up on TH-cam back to reality

    • @1870s
      @1870s  5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Already subscribe to them - great channel!

  • @RoseRose-cw5be
    @RoseRose-cw5be 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Do you plant the starts in the earth or just deep into the hay/straw?

    • @1870s
      @1870s  2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Just at soil level