Solarizing the Vegetable Garden

Below is a link to solarizing garden soil. I think this one is very informative. The bottom line from several articles is you need at least 4 weeks of summer sun to solarize. Most articles agree 6 weeks is optimal and some say 8 weeks. The soil should be tilled and ammended as you wish and the big key is watering it. The soil should be thoroughly soaked to 12 inches. The plastic should be 1mm to 5mm thick. Some say 2mm and they all say not over 5mm.

Solarization will kill nematodes, eggs, insects, fungus and disease. You should lay the plastic 1 foot beyond the parameter of the garden space and secure the edges with rocks and dirt. The idea is to keep the heat in.

I think this could also be used to bring you soil out of winter and into spring earlier by heating it up. A few weeks of solarizing may not kill everything but it would warm you soil up sooner and deeper then normal.

Well lunch is over back to work.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/story.php?S_No=339&storyType=garde