2017 Reprint of 1961 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition software. Ruth Stout was best known for her "No-Work" gardening books and techniques. In the Spring of 1944, Stout decided that she wasn't going to wait for the plowman, nor was she going to plow on her own. Instead she planted the seeds and covered them, waiting to see what would happen, and discovered surprising success. As the years progressed, Stout refined her techniques, eventually adopting a year-round mulch which virtually eliminated the labor associated with traditional gardening. Her minimalist approach launched a long-running career as a gardening expert and a large following.