By Wade Hutcheson

University of Georgia

If you have decided not to plant a fall garden, you can still
work your garden spot to reduce next year’s pests.

The task has been proven to achieve pest control whether your pest
is a weed, an insect or a disease. The practice is called soil
solarization.

According to research conducted at the University of Georgia
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, soil
solarization works best when it’s done during the summer. Select
a time when you don’t mind your garden spot being temporarily out
of service.

Your next season garden can be planted after the process is
complete. Summertime temperatures heat the soil deeply to improve
solarization results.

To ‘solarize’ the soil, till the spot then water thoroughly.
Cover
the site with a layer of clear plastic and secure the edges.

Small blocks of wood or bricks should be placed on the sheet of
plastic in a grid fashion. Then cover this layer with a second
layer of plastic and secure the edges again.

The sun will heat the soil through the plastic and the air that’s
trapped between the two sheets of plastic. This essentially cooks
the pests. Leave this in place 2 to 3 months.

Upon replanting, till shallow so as not to bring up weed seeds
that
are deep and unaffected by the solarization process.

The downside to soil solarization is it can harm beneficial
insects, too. Often the trade off is worth it as the beneficials
will eventually return.