Soil Solarization

Weeds.  We have 'em.  Lots and lots of them!  If you look around the gardens you can see some of the methods we use to help keep them tamed.  (We realized long ago they can't be controlled!)  We use burlap covered with wood chips in the vegetable garden, sometimes we use cardboard and there is the good old fashioned tried and true method of getting dirty and digging them out by hand.

I think I have mentioned that we are working on a re-model of sorts in the rose beds.  There the weeds have pretty much been free to come and go as they please for many years.  It's a mess.... and this fall there are plans to re-locate some of the roses to the main beds and maybe even add a new plant or two.  But before we do all that work, the weeds really need to be dealt with.

We cleared out a space in the center of the main rose bed earlier in the year, and of course the weeds came marching back in to take up residence.  Those weeds have been cleared again in preparation for something kind of exciting.  We are going to try Solarizing the soil as a means to kill some of the weed seeds other pests that may be in the soil.

In brief, to Solarize the soil you need the sun, and clear plastic. Covering the soil with the clear plastic heats the soil which will kill a wide range of soil-borne pests like weeds and other pathogens. It is best done in the hottest times of the year, and will require having the soil covered for 4 - 6 weeks.

The plan is to get this project up and running this week, as August is almost upon us!

Here are links to two great articles on the subject: University of California IPM Online  and Organic Gardening how to solarize the soil. 

Update: August finds us with lots of sun.  The plastic has been down for a few weeks now.  Here is a photo of the area that we are working with:

Solarization project