It’s roughly 6 weeks till the final frost here in 7b.
I have a spot of grass and ivy that I want to turn into an annual veg garden. I’m waiting on soil nutrient results.
My current plan is to silage tarp all the grass and ivy for 3-4 weeks. Then cover with any needed amendments, 2 inches of compost, 4 inches of wood chips, then tarp again for the remaining 2-3 weeks. When the final frost passes, transplant out my annuals.
After the growing season I’ll cover crop with peas, clover, vetch, oats. Repeat next year.
Does this make sense? Am I missing anything?
You hit the nail on the head; tarping needs to be done when it’s warm out.
Here’s a good official source.
I read it somewhere so it makes sense there is a source besides trust me bro.
Also logically everything has been under snow for months. What are a few more weeks under a tarp? You might get things to germinate quicker but that’s it.
Edit: I’m sure I read it from the U of M the first time