In Your Garden - No-work gardening method

By Kelsey Wuff, Otter Tail County Master Gardener

Ruth Stout was famous for her “No-Work” gardening method, a topic on which she wrote a few books in addition to several other gardening books.

Rather than follow traditional methods of gardening, the basic idea of Ruth’s method is to cover your garden area with eight solid inches of mulch. Pull the mulch back to plant, then tuck the mulch back around the plants once they have established. As the mulch breaks down she would simply plant into that organic matter and continue to add more mulch. That’s it! No hard work compared to traditional gardening methods.

She was inspired by looking at the process of the natural mulch method in a forest. The trees shed leaves, the leaves break down on the top of the soil and become a permanent mulch. The process repeats itself. The trees and plants are fertilized and weeds are suppressed by a combination of the mulch layer and the tree canopy.

To replicate this method in your own garden, you will need large amounts of mulch. This can be leaves, straw, or her favorite, old hay. Yes, I know you have heard that mulching with hay spreads seeds, but according to Ruth, if you mulch deep enough those seeds don’t matter as they are suppressed the same way as other weed seeds will be.

To try this method yourself, begin by applying a thick layer of mulch, at least eight inches deep. When it comes time to plant, you will move the mulch aside. If you are putting in an actual plant, pull the mulch aside far enough to dig a hole for the plant. Pull the mulch back in close around the plant. Water the plant well. It’s done!

If you are planting seeds, pull back the mulch in the row or whatever area you are planting, just wide enough to put the seeds in. Water your seeds. Leave the mulch pulled off to the sides to allow the seeds to germinate and grow. As the little plants get larger, you will be able to bring the mulch closer to them.

In addition to the mulch breaking down into fertilizer and suppressing weed growth, it also helps to maintain moisture, reducing the amount of watering your garden will need.

As time goes by and the mulch gets thin, simply add more mulch to any spots looking sparse.

It takes a little bit of effort up front, but consider giving Ruth’s method a try this season in the garden and see if you too can achieve the “no-work” garden.