In this video, I share how to protect garden soil and keep it healthy the easy way! Protecting garden soil from harsh sun, weed seeds and insect pest eggs is critical to build healthy soil and a productive garden, but many gardeners leave their soil vulnerable to damage in between plantings. This easy method promotes soil health and reduces weeds and insect pests at the same time!
I use the following products* to grow a vegetable garden and build soil health:
Waterproof Tarps (Many Sizes): https://amzn.to/4nXuCBh
Insect Netting: https://amzn.to/44MJZ89
Shade Cloth: https://amzn.to/49bqveh
Weed Barrier: https://amzn.to/4mj7nkl
True Organic All Purpose Fertilizer [5-4-5] (4lb): https://amzn.to/4mroKji
Alaska Fish Fertilizer (Gallon): https://amzn.to/4d9c1x7
Espoma PlantTone Fertilizer [5-3-3] (36lb): https://amzn.to/4lgP9PW
Espoma PlantTone Fertilizer [5-3-3] (50lb): https://amzn.to/4lgPbr2
Espoma Bone Meal (10lb): https://amzn.to/4ieYapY
True Organic Blood Meal (3lbs): https://amzn.to/3DvlzVJ
Pruning Snips: https://amzn.to/4eZxCrM
Japanese Bypass Pruning Shears: https://amzn.to/45VrI9L
Japanese Pruning Saw: https://amzn.to/44enOHQ
Watering Wand: https://amzn.to/3OkgnG5
Jack’s All Purpose [20-20-20] (1.5lb): https://amzn.to/4iRWtRc
Jack’s All Purpose [20-20-20] (25lb): https://amzn.to/3ZSJeGW
Full Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/themillennialgardener
If you have any questions about how to keep garden soil healthy, have questions about growing fruit trees or want to know about the things I grow in my raised bed vegetable garden and edible landscaping food forest, are looking for more gardening tips and tricks and garden hacks, have questions about vegetable gardening and organic gardening in general, or want to share some DIY and “how to” garden tips and gardening hacks of your own, please ask in the Comments below!
*******
VISIT MY AMAZON STOREFRONT FOR PRODUCTS I USE MOST OFTEN IN MY GARDEN*
https://www.amazon.com/shop/themillennialgardener
*******
VISIT MY MERCHANDISE STORE
https://shop.spreadshirt.com/themillennialgardener/
*******
VISIT MY OTHER YOUTUBE CHANNEL: THE MILLENNIAL GARDENER
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheMillennialGardener
*******
SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Me on X (@NCGardening) https://x.com/NCGardening
Follow Me on INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/millennialgardener/
*******
ABOUT MY GARDEN
Location: Southeastern NC, Brunswick County (Wilmington area)
34.1°N Latitude
Zone 8B
*******
*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
©2 Minute Garden Tips
#gardening #garden #soilhealth #vegetablegardening #vegetablegarden
What’s going on, gardeners? On today’s two-minute garden tip, I’m going to show you the easiest way to protect your garden soil and keep it healthy. Right now, we are at summer’s midpoint. And if you’re like me, you have a lot of empty space in your garden because the crops that we planted out in spring, well, many of them have run their course and it is still too warm to plant out any of our fall crops. So, as a result, we have a lot of unattended, unused garden space, and that soil is vulnerable to damage. Your garden soil contains trillions of microorganisms, bacteria, and fungi that work in harmony to help break down organic matter and break it into compounds that can then be taken up by your plants and feed them. Now, largely, it’s the roots of the plants growing in your garden that actually colonize that microbiome. They create a symbiotic relationship with the roots that grow in your soil. So, when you remove all of those plants and there is nothing growing in your garden soil and it’s just sitting exposed, beating in the sun, you are killing the microbiome colonies that keep your soil healthy. And we really want to do our best to protect and maintain those colonies. This raised garden bed right here has been cleaned and amended with compost, and I want to do everything in my power to protect this garden soil so I can transplant crops into it in about 4 weeks. And the easiest way to do this is to cover the garden soil with a tarp. And this is going to have three main benefits. Number one, it is going to prevent UV damage to the soil. That sun is going to be beating down on our garden. Well, we want to protect the top layer of that soil to protect the microbiome from being basically bleached by the harsh rays of the sun. Number two, it is going to prevent weed seed germination because placing the tarp on top, well, it’s going to block new weed seeds from blowing around in the air and lying on the surface, but also any weed seeds that are already in the garden soil, they are going to germinate in a zero light condition. So, they’re going to come up, they’re going to get no light, they’re going to suffocate and die. And also number three, there’s a certain amount of pest eggs that are in the soil right now that have been laid progressively throughout the spring and the summer when the insects are very active. Well, when I place this tarp down, once again, any insect eggs that are going to hatch, they’re going to suffocate and actually the heat of the sun is going to build up underneath the tarp and it’s going to kill off a certain percentage of those pest eggs and weed seeds as well. So, we are going to take a tarp and we are going to lay it down over the surface of the garden soil and then weigh it down with some bricks or some pieces of wood or logs or any other weights that we can find to hold everything down tightly. And now our garden soil has been nice and protected while we somewhat patiently await our next planting. So, these two raised garden beds that you see right here covered by a tarp will be good and ready for planting my fall garden in about a month. And because they are covered, we will expect them to all be weed-free. Now, you may be asking yourself, can’t I just protect my soil by covering it with several inches of a natural mulch? And the answer to that question is yes. If you add natural mulch to your garden soil, that will protect it from UV damage as well as add organic matter and nutrients to your soil naturally as the mulch decomposes. However, because I’m in the middle of the growing season and because I’m going to be planting something in this bed in only one month, the tarp is a better decision. And that is because right now, since we’re in the middle of July, there are pest eggs and there are weed seeds that are in that soil. And if all I do is place a mulch layer down, all of those pest eggs are going to hatch and all of the weed seeds are going to germinate because they are already there. The tarp is going to get that soil good and hot. So, it’s going to kill off insect pest eggs and it’s going to totally prevent germination and kill off the weed seed bank that is under there. So, because we’re in the middle of the growing season and because I want to plant in it quickly, the tarp is going to aid in my mission. If this were the middle of winter or I were going to rest this bed for three to four months where nothing is going to be planted, then I would bury this in about four to six inches of a natural mulch and just let it sit during a long dormant period. So, what you use is really up to you. That is my logic and it’s why I’m doing things the way I’m doing them right now. And if you’re looking for the very affordable tarps that I use to cover my raised garden beds, I’ll place some links down in the video description to them for your convenience. They come in all different sizes. And that’s today’s two-minute garden tip. If you’re new to the channel, please consider subscribing and hitting the bell to receive new video notifications. And check out our Amazon storefront and spreadshop in the video description for a list of the gardening products I use and awesome custom-designed apparel and other gear. Your support is greatly appreciated.
20 Comments
The grasshoppers have killed my garden rolls but I have several tubs that I’m using for my tomatoes and peppers. Not a big issue with the grasshoppers. So I’m going to use them again next year
Can you use shade cloth or insect netting
Oh GREAT! Then I've been doing stuff right. Thank you for confirming. I have all my plants growing in really large storage bins (major gopher problem) with holes in
the bottom for drainage. My intent was to use the lids to cover when the planting is over. I love your 2 minute garden tips. You cover so much in just those 2 minutes.
Glad you're still with us. You're my only source for advice. 🙂
Will this kill grubs?
If you enjoyed this video, please LIKE it and SHARE it with family and friends! Thanks for watching 🙂
So you are going to solarize your soil. Doesn't that kill all the good stuff in it also! You end up with dead soil?
Your two minute Garden tips are always so informative, love them, quick and you learn a whole lot! Thank You
I use soil amender … Mixed in with new fresh soil .
Yes, diatomaceous earth (DE) can be beneficial for plants and soil. It's a natural substance that can improve soil drainage, enhance moisture retention, and act as a natural pest control. DE is composed of fossilized remains of diatoms, which are tiny aquatic organisms, and its sharp edges can help deter pests.
Every time I put something on top of soil the fire ants move in. I amend with compost annually.
How about some cardboard
I like watching your 2-minute tips. 🧑🌾
didn’t realize you had this channel! much prefer this format tbh
I do not reuse soil unless if it is healthy. To make your soil healthy you would have to first clean your soil by removing everything that was growing in it then sterilize it by using hot water then you could put compost in your soil.
I suppose another option that can save you time is if you replace your unhealthy soil with healthy soil, so then you would not have to sterilize anything.
Covering the garden bed is a bad idea with a tarp, and I can explain why. The compost needs to be continuously exposed to sunshine, and especially heat, and this is something I recently learned about. I had no idea that compost needs to be exposed to sunshine, and heat, and probably for a long time, so it can decompose in the soil to give nutrients to plants.
You would be providing shade to your garden bed, so making it cooler by covering your garden bed. Covering a garden bed that might be prepared to grow plants is risky choice. A question you should ask yourself is if your compost is prepared to be used in your garden bed.
I understand you are not happy about weed germination. Well I am not happy about this problem either. What I have been doing is just thinning out anything that grew that was unwanted with my plants.
Lastly I think that if you get snow where you live then covering your garden bed would be a good idea, but not with a tarp if you want to try to grow all year.
Love the 2 minute tip. I just ordered a set of the tarps.
Silage tarp or pond liner. Regular "tarps" degrade in our southern sun.
I was just thinking about what I should do with part of my raised bed that is waiting for transplants. Part of my bed has little seedlings and some with full grown veggies. Can I just lay pieces of cardboard on the empty spots? I love watching your channel, I'm in zone 8b also.
I'm a big tarper. Yes, it would be better to have something biodegradable like cardboard etc., but the tarp is so convenient and easy to apply. Also, I don't see any unhappiness underneath after tarping — the worms go NUTS under there from all the decaying weed seedlings. Must be a pretty happy biome under the tarp. And the warmth advantage too, in colder places: spring tarping probably gets a temp boost on the bed.
There is just something so beautiful about a freshly cleaned and amended raised bed!! Here in East TX I try to grow all year but last year I did tarp one bed and feel like it made a difference come spring.
Bought two yards of garden soil, weeds wont even grow in it. I m thinking i need to add organic material to it?