The Ruth Stout Method and More Tips to Garden Greener

Having a green thumb is a good thing. And helping the earth be greener in the process? Well, that’s an even better thing. Here are the ways I’ve learned to be kinder to the environment when I’m in the garden, including the Ruth Stout Method.

Use the Ruth Stout Method

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The late Ruth Stout wrote a series of gardening books in the 1970s on the benefits of mulching in place. It’s called The Ruth Stout Method and I can personally vouch for the fact that it saves labor, feeds plants and conserves soil moisture. The concept is simple: mulch plants and beds with natural debris such as leaves, straw, twigs, prunings, kitchen scraps and pulled weeds. Then let nature do the rest.

I mulch in place in the vegetable garden and in a naturalistic border I’ve created with woody plants and perennials. I definitely water less, yet plants seem happier, no doubt because there are more worm castings and other organic matter in the soil. And I’m always gratified to see more birds browsing among the natural mulch.

Use Leaves as Mulch and for Compost

Like many others, as a teen I earned spending cash by raking leaves for neighbors. Back then, the leaves were packed into plastic garbage bags and sent to the dump. Yuck, what a waste! Today, many municipalities collect and compost leaves. That’s a good thing, but I’d rather save money on the composting bags and keep the nutrients in my yard.

Along with following the Ruth Stout Method, you can mow over the leaves and leave them in place or use them to mulch garden beds. Or add them to your compost bin to help kitchen scraps break down faster.

Learn how to get started with composting.

Avoid Dyed Mulch

A few years ago, I mulched my front garden with dyed wood chips. The uniform color looked great, but a year later when I dug beneath the mulch to plant, there was a spooky absence of earthworms—or any other signs of life—in the soil.

While there is some debate about whether the dyes are dangerous, the University of Florida Extension says the danger may lie with the chips, which are often made from recycled wood pallets, some of which may contain treated or contaminated wood.

I think the worms knew better than I did. Consider them the canaries in the coal mine and stick with natural mulches and/or the Ruth Stout Method. Many municipalities make natural wood chips available for free.

Psst—we asked a garden expert: Is it OK to use rubber mulch?

Grow a Native Plant Garden

Courtesy Kari Thomson

Tempting as it is to plant exotics you find at the nursery (many do make fantastic houseplants), your garden will require less upkeep with plants that are familiar with your growing conditions, so grow native plants instead. They’re hardier, and need less water and fertilizer once they get established.

As a bonus: Native plants are more useful to backyard birds than exotics.

Avoid Using Chemicals

A walk through the aisles at a big-box store will tell you how dependent we’ve become on pesticides and herbicides. Fortunately, more and more organic alternatives are showing up. Give these products a go instead (be sure to follow instructions), or forgo using any additives altogether.

You can just pull weeds for peace of mind—and to know you’re not killing one of nature’s valuable pollinators.

Check out natural ways to eliminate garden insect pests.

Repurpose and Recycle Plastic Containers

Plastic nursery pots are a definite convenience, but it’s hard to feel green when you’re dumping the empty containers in the trash right after you finish planting. When possible, buy plants in biodegradable peat pots. If you end up with plastic, repurpose it.

Clean and disinfect cell packs with a 10-percent bleach solution before using them to start seeds. Larger pots are great at protecting tender new vegetable plants from rabbit browsing if you remove pot bottoms first. I leave the protective barrier in place all growing season because it helps direct water when I irrigate and some plants, like peppers, seem to like the extra warmth the black plastic holds.

You can also sink larger used nursery pots into the ground to contain roots of aggressive plants like gooseneck loosestrife and other spreaders.

If you’re not reusing plastic pots, you can recycle them at participating big box stores.

Next, learn how to save money and recycle with cardboard gardening.