{"id":164,"date":"2023-12-02T21:44:28","date_gmt":"2023-12-03T05:44:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/2023\/12\/02\/ruth-stouts-no-work-gardening-method\/"},"modified":"2023-12-02T22:22:17","modified_gmt":"2023-12-03T06:22:17","slug":"ruth-stouts-no-work-gardening-method","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/2023\/12\/02\/ruth-stouts-no-work-gardening-method\/","title":{"rendered":"Ruth Stouts no work gardening method"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"911\" height=\"729\" src=\"https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_13503023628129-01.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-163\" srcset=\"https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_13503023628129-01.jpeg 911w, https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_13503023628129-01-300x240.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_13503023628129-01-768x615.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_13503023628129-01-600x480.jpeg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 911px) 100vw, 911px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is our front lawn on the north side of our house.&nbsp; The raccoons have been digging up grubs to eat for the past year or so.&nbsp; The whole center part has had the sod pulled up in sheets.&nbsp; Tanya has been turning over the lawn and puzzle-piecing it back together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We really don&#8217;t use this beautiful part of the yard.&nbsp; It is surrounded by rhododendron bushes.&nbsp; But even in May when the blooms are in full swing, we walk by it and maybe take a few photos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I know I must be a big disappointment to the previous generations whose lawns were a symbol of class and dignity, but that&#8217;s too square for me. I want to use this space to express my commitment to sustainability and my values.\u00a0 So I decided to follow Ruth Stouts guide to creating an organic no work garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Interview and Garden Tour With Ruth Stout - Mulch Queen\" width=\"736\" height=\"552\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FB5_NmqTOm8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I love this crazy old hippie.&nbsp; I imagine she was a square broad for much of her life, until she started gardening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This method speaks to me because of how much sense it makes.&nbsp; Any garden of mine needs to be somewhat care free.&nbsp; With her method, the garden will stay moist under the mulch.&nbsp; The worms will cruise around aerating the soil, making it softer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plus, there is no need to dig up the sod and drive it to the tip.&nbsp; By leaving it in place the lawn will decompose and compost recycling the organic matter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Preparing the lawn<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To make this space into a garden I first found out where the in-ground sprinklers are.\u00a0\u00a0 I lost them last season.\u00a0 I found the two I was concerned about under a blanket of sod.\u00a0 I marked the locations with bits of leftover water pipe.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A sprinkle of mushroom manure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"844\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_14392495628129-01.jpeg\" alt=\"I sprinkled mushroom compost on my lawn for the composting bacteria\" class=\"wp-image-162\" srcset=\"https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_14392495628129-01.jpeg 844w, https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_14392495628129-01-300x240.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_14392495628129-01-768x614.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_14392495628129-01-600x480.jpeg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 844px) 100vw, 844px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mushroom manure was $5 a bag at Garden Works in Nanaimo, so I sprinkled three bags in the space.\u00a0\u00a0 Not so much to add nutrients to the garden space.\u00a0\u00a0 But to introduce composting bacteria under the paper.\u00a0\u00a0 The idea being the lawn and grubs are going to die,\u00a0 the bacteria will have a good introduction to the composting process.\u00a0 I think, but it won&#8217;t hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Putting it together<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"820\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_15071661828129-01-820x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"Mid-composing a composting garden - adding mulch\" class=\"wp-image-160\" srcset=\"https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_15071661828129-01-820x1024.jpeg 820w, https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_15071661828129-01-240x300.jpeg 240w, https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_15071661828129-01-768x960.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_15071661828129-01-1229x1536.jpeg 1229w, https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_15071661828129-01-1639x2048.jpeg 1639w, https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_15071661828129-01-1400x1749.jpeg 1400w, https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_15071661828129-01-600x750.jpeg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Next I took a roll of builders paper from Home Depot for $21 that covered 40M^2 and laid it out over the space, overlapping the edges.\u00a0\u00a0 The paper acts as a light block for the next month ot two.\u00a0\u00a0 Killing the lawn and grubs, and kick off the composting.\u00a0\u00a0 The paper will break down too, and that is where the mulch comes in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Adding Mulch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mulch is any organic matter that will break down easily.&nbsp;&nbsp; This could be lawn clippings, leaves, wood chips, or bark mulch.&nbsp;&nbsp; But you need a thick layer.&nbsp;&nbsp; I had just enough material to cover the paper.&nbsp;&nbsp; Chestnut leaves from the neighbors tree, Lawn clippings, and Hay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hay is for horses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hay or Straw?&nbsp;&nbsp; I used hay,&nbsp; people told me that the hay is fine grasses and plants with seeds and all.&nbsp; In the springtime, I should expect these to sprout and produce more weeds.&nbsp;&nbsp; However in this video, these unwelcome grasses and weeds can be stamped out with more mulch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Know your garden mulch: Hay vs Straw\" width=\"736\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BZp5lV1sgrc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A not-yet-deep mulch composting garden<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"820\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_151526281-01-820x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Adding mulch to composting completed\" class=\"wp-image-161\" srcset=\"https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_151526281-01-820x1024.jpg 820w, https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_151526281-01-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_151526281-01-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_151526281-01-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_151526281-01-1639x2048.jpg 1639w, https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_151526281-01-1400x1749.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_151526281-01-600x750.jpg 600w, https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_151526281-01.jpg 1668w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So there it is. A four layer lasagna garden bed.&nbsp; I expect to start planting early seeds in 4 months, early April.&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the meantime, I will build a box, and find more mulch materials.  Check out my Mastodon posts for updates. \uf41d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I decided to follow Ruth Stouts guide to creating an organic no work garden.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":166,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","activitypub_max_image_attachments":3,"activitypub_interaction_policy_quote":"anyone","activitypub_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23,42],"tags":[43,46,45,44],"class_list":["post-164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-garden","tag-garden","tag-grubs","tag-mulching","tag-ruth-stout","clear","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMG_20231202_15071661828129-01-1-scaled.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=164"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":171,"href":"https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164\/revisions\/171"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknobilly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}