Our 30′ x 40′ Silage Tarp is a great way to prepare your garden soil without using a tractor, tiller, harrow or other gas-powered equipment. Create beautiful, weed-free garden soil and preserve soil structure with ease. Just place the tarp over a pre-existing vegetable garden plot or use it to designate a new garden plot. During the warmer months, it only takes a few weeks to go from grass to soil.
This garden plot preparation technique is called “occultation”, which simply means that the tarp is blocking the sun from touching the soil. The lack of sunlight penetrating the soil creates a warm, dark, moist environment. This environment facilitates the germination of weed seeds that quickly die due to the lack of sunlight. It also creates dynamic soil life with abundant earthworm and beneficial bacterial populations.
Tarping is a great way to extinguish a cover crop and prepare an area for planting. Just mow the cover crop and place the tarp over the desired area. The tarp will help to break down the existing organic matter and facilitate beneficial soil life. You can also use the tarp to create a new garden spot in an existing lawn. The tarp will kill the existing grass and create a virtually weed-free garden area.
Our 30’x 40′ Silage Tarp is made with a 6 mil, polyethylene plastic that is black on both sides. Either side of the tarp may be used. This thick plastic is durable and will last for many years. It is easy to fold for storage and easy to unfold when needed. We also include 15 sandbags per silage tarp to keep the tarp in place.
Silage Tarp Benefits
- No tiller or tractor required
- Easy to install with sandbags included
- Creates a weed-free environment
- Increases earthworm populations
- Enhances beneficial soil bacteria
Stephen Clay McGehee (verified owner) –
Appears to be a very tough product that does what it is supposed to do. Note that you definitely need to use plenty of sandbags with these. I ended up buying some larger sandbags to use since they were easier to fill. Don’t skimp on the number of sandbags you use. I can already see where I need to add a few more to keep the wind from lifting it up in places. It’s not going anywhere, but I can imagine that the wind might stretch it out of shape a bit – just guessing on that though. Overall, a valuable garden prep tool that lets me keep from disturbing the soil any more than I have to. I fully expect these to last for years if given reasonable care.