Tips for the ruth stout method organic forum at permies. Growing sweet potatoes in a food forest the survival. I have a question about planting potatoes with ruth stout method in a vole stricken garden. She was planting potatoes by throwing them on the ground and then covering them with straw. This is the timehonored traditional method for growing potatoes. Planting potatoes using the ruth stout method no till potatoes. That being said, using the ruth stout method this year has been a big success. Ruth stout method of planting potatoes with images planting.
Planting potatoes in a ruth stout permaculture garden quick and. On a sunny day, in late january or early february, i spread cow munure on the frozen ground,laid out the whole small potates or cut nd cured potto pieces in the sevral rows, then covered. This method of planting potatoes requires no digging. Well be arriving a few weeks after the last frost, so we dont have a lot of time to get our field corn into the ground if were going to get a. Perform the stout method on great soil and expect great yields of delicious potatoes. Companion planting and ruth stouts gardening method. Ruth stouts system for gardening mother earth news. Ruth stout was born in kansas in 1894 and lived to the ripe old age of 96. One of our longtime gardensall community members sent us a link that ties in with the use of hay and straw in our gardens. Secondly, a garden like miss stouts needs neither plowing nor tilling, yet, in the beginning years, the soil will build up much faster if some method of breaking up and incorporating the organic. Planting potatoes using ruth stouts teaching, simply create long rows of hay or straw both work equally well and throw the potatoes on top. When it comes to growing potatoes, the traditional method may not be the best way for you.
This method is probably the easiest to implement and the cost is very minimal assuming access to free hay. However, if it is spring time, a ruth stout bed is a great way to start potatoes right away. Dig and no water potato experiment ruth stout method. The ruth stout nowork method is one of the very best. This deep mulch potato planting technique is called the stout method, named after the oldtime popular organic gardener ruth stout. She was quite a person, as a glance through one of her books will rapidly reveal. Take a look at the embedded video to see a 90 year old ruth stout in her garden, or skip ahead to 7 minutes into the video to see her planting potatoes. For a glimpse of that, watch arthur mokins 23minute documentary on youtube, ruth stouts garden. In the region where ruth stout lived connecticut, united states, she could plant her potatoes. Other methods for planting potatoes include planting directly into furrows or the use of the ruth stout method. Ggc 70 the ruth stout method of permaculture youtube. Its 1975 and ruth stout, in her early 90s, is being filmed at her home. You see her at 92, planting potatoes she has just brought up from winter storage, with.
April 26, 2012 april 11, 2018 2 comments on companion planting and ruth stouts gardening method egyptian walking onions look different every season, i swear. No doubt many of you have used the ruth stout method or other similar nowork or notill gardening techniques. I bought some sweet taters from tim sometime over the summer, cut the ends off them, and stuck them in the ground all around. I love spring anywhere, but if i could choose, i would always greet it in a garden. Growing potatoes in a grow bag instead of a traditional garden plot allows you.
In a quirky, folksy way ruth stout presents her method of gardening. Potatoes solanum tuberosum are a dependable plant for most home gardeners, with a small amount of effort resulting in a large payoff at the end of the season. Last year we tried and had great success with the ruth stout method of gardening for potatoes. Because there is plenty of space for plants to spread out, it carries the greatest potential for a plentiful harvest. We built a couple of ruth stout gardens in the fall by simply laying some old spoiled hay over the grass. Planting potatoes using the ruth stout method no till. It is one of a multitude of approaches and practices that help make gardening easier, more enjoyable and potentially more productive. Ruth stout and permanent hay mulch mother earth news. In other potato news, i should mention that the potato plants i covered with buckets during the last frost are three times bigger than the ones i let the frost nip. Also if you arent as in love with ruth stout, and dont want to read her quips, this whole book does i. Depending on variety and weather, the potato growing season is about three or four months from planting to digging. This involves digging trenches, piling the soil in between the trenches, planting the seed potatoes, and hilling the potato plants as they grow. Anybody, everybody wouldn t dream of planting potatoes like this.
Heres that ruth stout garden video if youd like to watch it. Planting potatoes in a ruth stout permaculture garden quick and easy duration. Planting, harvesting, and drying garlic using the ruth stout method duration. Ruth imogen stout june 14, 1884 august 22, 1980 was an american author best known for her nowork gardening books and techniques. June about 4 months ago where i showed how a 4x10 potato garden could be built and planted in 6 minutes using the ruth stout method. Ruth imogen stout was born june 14, 1884, in girard, kansas, the fifth child of quaker parents john. Growing tomatoes growing vegetables no till garden container gardening vegetables vegetable gardening planting potatoes garden care garden beds fruit garden. Eden method or permaculture similar to ruth stouts ruth stout method of no till, deep mulch gardening same as the eden method this unorthodox gardener stopped tilling and turning. My trial of the ruth stout method gardening redsquare. And if youre using the stout method of growing your potatoes in mulch, be sure to use plenty of hay or straw. This is the traditional method of growing potatoes that farmers have used for centuries only scaled down for the backyard garden. Today was the first day we could have according to our planting guide, but the weather predicted rain, so.
I didnt initially realize how cognizant i had to be with proper c. Planting potatoes is one of my favorite garden activities. Planting potatoes using ruth stout s teaching, simply create long rows of hay or straw both work equally well and throw the potatoes on top. Ruth stouts no work gardening method was covering everything in hay mulch and. Known as the ruth stout method of growing potatoes, we tried this the last two years and it works great. Related but not, when describing stout to a friend, they recalled seeing a video of her before throwing potatoes into hay, and i just really think stout would have liked that. The ruth stout system of permanent hay mulching veganic.
Simply plant tubers in an equal mix of compost and potting soil. Quite simply, the method consists of keeping a thick layer of hay. The hay seeds are kept under control easily by more hay on top. The broken down hay gives them all the nutrients they need, while the top mulch layer keeps the moisture and temperature constant. In ruths case her soil had been tilled for a number of years in a row. This profile of ruth stout 18841980 pops up on youtube every so often and gets ordered down so watch it while you can. The stout method for planting potatoes home guides sf gate. The ruth stout method is a no till option using mulch to prevent weeds, reduce or eliminate watering, and improving soil. It kept the soil moist and cool, perfect for fruit ushes, trees, potatoes, tomatoes, spinach. I dont remember them doing this last year, but then, this is only the second spring ive had them growing in the garden. And i know it is not the best method for all crops or for all conditions. With the ruth stout technique, gardens are established and. One of the methods of planting potatoes is the trench and hill method. Planting potatoes in a ruth stout permaculture garden.
Ruth stout planted her potatoes directly on the ground, covering them. How to grow an acre of potatoes small farmers journal. Nicknamed the mulch queen, ruth stout was born in the united states in 1884. Seasonally speaking, potato planting may be divided into four more or less distinct crop periods, viz, 1 the early or truck crop of the south, 2 the early crop of the north, 3 the late crop of the north, and 4 the late crop of the south. Starting a ruth stout garden bed is great to do in the fall in preparation for spring planting. The back to eden method is similar, and uses wood chips. Soilhay base is only exposed for seed sowing and gradually covered again. Her method involved a type of layering system much like the lasagna system of gardening. Gardening to ruth stout meant using mulch, and lots of it. Potatoes solanum tuberosum are a dependable plant for most home. Simply lay the spuds on the soil, or like ruth you can literally toss them on.
Regardless of the planting method, potato plants require frequent hilling, or mounding of dirt around the stems, as the season progresses. How to plant potatoes using the ruth stout method and soil. Shes explaining her daily schedule, how many hours a day she works to maintain, harvest, and freeze food from a 45 x 50 foot vegetable garden which grows enough food for two people. The ruth stout method is also called the lazy gardening method, and for good reason. Maybe you could get a dog, perhaps a jack russell, to hunt them. Planting seed in a ruth stout garden mulch forum at permies. You may also like its time to plant lettuce, technically. Planting potatoes in a ruth stout permaculture garden quick and easy back to reality.
Ruth stout the brilliant naked gardener empress of dirt. Conventional gardening methods can be time consuming and strenuous, but there are some excellent natural alternatives that are well worth exploring. This year, were going to keep the ruth stout but for potatoes only, as our squash, melons, and zucchini did not enjoy the hay. In this video i will be planting potatoes using the ruth stout method. Piles of hay and other mulch form the basis of ruth stouts gardening method. Ruth stout and permanent hay mulch ruth stout s no work gardening method was covering everything in hay mulch and leaving it alone until harvest time. Potatoes grow amazing in hay or straw bales, even when stacked vertically.
Over the years ruth had created beautiful soil and that fertile soil was a big factor in her success. I think even i can do that while building a new home. As early as 1920, she realized that all traditional methods of working with the soil digging, weeding, watering, plowing, hoeing, could be replaced by simply adding a layer of hay on the ground. She was best known for growing potatoes by just throwing them on the. This way we can have potatoes all year around and some left over wrinkled with eyes to hold over winter for the next st.
Mulch queen ruth stout claimed to have smashed saloons with carry nation in. I commuted to texas where i bought seed potatoes in january while it was still snowing on the ground in kcmo. It is a great way to go if you have space and like to spend time in the garden. The proper way to plant potatoes in the home garden. Mulching potatoes the ruth stout way walden effect. Cover the rows with another, smaller layer of hay and wait for the potatoes to sprout. Anybody, everybody wouldnt dream of planting potatoes like this. Ruth studied the natural environment around her garden and tried to find a way to improve her gardens soil fertility by letting nature do all the work. What vegetables can you grow in a ruth stout garden. Ruth stout and permanent hay mulch ruth stouts no work gardening method was covering everything in hay mulch and leaving it alone until harvest time. Im moving onto some property that is timber and hay in eastern washington zone 5. If you pair her experiences with the methods in lasagna gardening youll combat weeds, save water, naturally compost all kinds of stuff that would otherwise go into landfills and, best of all, grow a beautiful garden. Underneath, the old hay is like soil and full of worms.
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