I'm rather surprised to see so many people using BLACK plastic. You'll actually get way more heat using CLEAR plastic. It's the "greenhouse" effect.
The black plastic gets hot-that's true, but the clear plastic lets the sunrays in and gets the SOIL HOT....thus killing all the weeds as well as the seeds in the top layers of the soil.
The trick is to put planks on the edges to "seal the heat in".
I didn't believe it at first so I tried a section with clear plastic and another with black plastic. The difference is AMAZING.
My vegetable garden alone is about 16X30 maybe a little larger. Here's what I did BEFORE I HAD CHICKENS....and you can skip the rototill part...but it works better with the rototill. Ive used the plastic method on thick grass without rototilling to clear an area and it worked great- it just took a little longer for the greenery to "cook" all the way through.
1. Rototill
2. Let the weeds just begin to sprout
3. Put out the CLEAR plastic (you will smell the greenery cook....but that's what you want). You can do it just so that the greenery is dead...but I usually do it for at least another week if I can--this way it heats up the soil and kills a lot of the seeds too. The amount of time you'll need varies by how much DIRECT sunlight the plastic gets.
4. Rototill (or at least turn the ground for planting)
5. Plant your seedlings (if you're using seeds, go to 6) and water well****putting down soaker hoses at this time is a GREAT idea...no need to bury in the soil--it will be covered.
6. Add several layers of newspaper (section at a time) around the seedlings....if using seeds...punch a hole and then put the seed in through the hole. water the newspaper down as you go...it will make it easier.
7. Add mulch on top of the newspaper (preferably 1 inch deep) (if you don't use chicken poop laden mulch- make sure your plants are fed a high nitrogen fertilizer)
8. Water deeply the first time....you'll notice this method also needs a LOT LESS watering!
8. pick at the minuscule amount fo weeds that do come up and notice how easy they are to pull out!!!!!
9. Enjoy your garden
10. At the end of your season....the newspaper will be almost all broken down and you just turn it all over again...I rototill it in...but you can use a shovel if you'd like!
Now with chickens....I do it similarly.....but I rarely have to use the plastic anymore...I just rototill 3 times 1-2 weeks apart and let the chickens at it. I still use the newspaper and mulch method around the plants that the chickens will eat and I therefore have to put a chicken exclusion fence around those rows.
I'd like to add also, that I do this method in my flower beds as well and I rarely weed at all. I use cardboard around my perenials and trees because it lasts a lot longer and I don't rototill around those plants.
Sandra
The black plastic gets hot-that's true, but the clear plastic lets the sunrays in and gets the SOIL HOT....thus killing all the weeds as well as the seeds in the top layers of the soil.
The trick is to put planks on the edges to "seal the heat in".
I didn't believe it at first so I tried a section with clear plastic and another with black plastic. The difference is AMAZING.
My vegetable garden alone is about 16X30 maybe a little larger. Here's what I did BEFORE I HAD CHICKENS....and you can skip the rototill part...but it works better with the rototill. Ive used the plastic method on thick grass without rototilling to clear an area and it worked great- it just took a little longer for the greenery to "cook" all the way through.
1. Rototill
2. Let the weeds just begin to sprout
3. Put out the CLEAR plastic (you will smell the greenery cook....but that's what you want). You can do it just so that the greenery is dead...but I usually do it for at least another week if I can--this way it heats up the soil and kills a lot of the seeds too. The amount of time you'll need varies by how much DIRECT sunlight the plastic gets.
4. Rototill (or at least turn the ground for planting)
5. Plant your seedlings (if you're using seeds, go to 6) and water well****putting down soaker hoses at this time is a GREAT idea...no need to bury in the soil--it will be covered.
6. Add several layers of newspaper (section at a time) around the seedlings....if using seeds...punch a hole and then put the seed in through the hole. water the newspaper down as you go...it will make it easier.
7. Add mulch on top of the newspaper (preferably 1 inch deep) (if you don't use chicken poop laden mulch- make sure your plants are fed a high nitrogen fertilizer)
8. Water deeply the first time....you'll notice this method also needs a LOT LESS watering!
8. pick at the minuscule amount fo weeds that do come up and notice how easy they are to pull out!!!!!
9. Enjoy your garden
10. At the end of your season....the newspaper will be almost all broken down and you just turn it all over again...I rototill it in...but you can use a shovel if you'd like!
Now with chickens....I do it similarly.....but I rarely have to use the plastic anymore...I just rototill 3 times 1-2 weeks apart and let the chickens at it. I still use the newspaper and mulch method around the plants that the chickens will eat and I therefore have to put a chicken exclusion fence around those rows.
I'd like to add also, that I do this method in my flower beds as well and I rarely weed at all. I use cardboard around my perenials and trees because it lasts a lot longer and I don't rototill around those plants.
Sandra
