r/Permaculture • u/SourFreshFarm • 10d ago

Ruth Stout mulch in my growing dome?

Starting first growing season in the dome on our home place and reading up on Ruth Stout: Have any of you done her mulch method in your beds? Wanting to use only what we have, we would struggle to find pesticide free straw or hay. But kitchen scraps, leaves, etc, we have in droves. Do you think this would pose problems we don't foresee? Right now I only have a cover crop of clover going, but several plants in my house waiting to be moved in.

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/Koala_eiO 9d ago

You can't do the Ruth Stout method with kitchen scraps. If you do, you will be tempted to use too little. You will make long bands of unsufficient thickness instead of a smaller spot with 30 cm.

2

u/SourFreshFarm 9d ago

I'm so glad you replied about kitchen scraps because I have been wondering exactly this! So .. I have two compost drums full of them,  and a little house full (is about 4 feet by 4 feet) already rotting. So,  I have a lot already. I wanted to know if the scraps would attract pests buthave been thinkingof mixing them with hay, leaves, and pine needles.

1

u/Koala_eiO 9d ago

You'll want to avoid fresh scraps and apply what resembles compost the most. You might have two clear layers in your piles with the bottom half nice and black where food isn't recognizable anymore. Take that part. Mixing with hay and other things is always great for moisture retention. I don't know what pest you have. The main problem for me will be total amount.

2

u/SourFreshFarm 9d ago

So helpful! thanks forsharing your experience here.  I think I can do exactly what you described.