How to Use the Sun to Pasteurize Garden Soil

Pasteurizing your garden's soil each season before planting rids the soil of weeds, insects, fungi and bacteria that stunt plant growth and make more work for you later. Solarization is the process of using the sun to pasteurize garden soil. It's inexpensive and provides an organic alternative to toxic chemical mixtures that stay in the soil and are ultimately absorbed by plants, animals and people.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Clear plastic to cover the soil
• Six weeks of continuously warm or hot weather

1. Start the solarization process 6 weeks before planting. Solarization makes use of the sun's heat to kill any pests lurking in your soil. Check with The Farmer's Almanac to be sure your area's cold weather is over. You need warm or hot temperatures over the 6-week period in order to pasteurize the soil.

2. Saturate the soil with water. Let the soil soak for at least 2 hours. This may require a continuous supply of water. If the soil reaches its saturation point and you have standing water over the entire area, cut off the water supply.

3. Cover the entire area with clear plastic. The clear plastic allows all of the sun's rays to be absorbed into the soil. Overlap the plastic's edges by 1 foot. Thoroughly cover the outer edges of the plastic with soil to seal in the moisture and trap the heat the sun provides.

4. Leave the area covered in the sealed plastic for 6 weeks. During this time the sun's rays penetrate the clear plastic and are converted to heat and into the soil. This constant supply of heat during the day organically rids the soil of any pests or diseases it may be harboring.

5. Remove the plastic after 6 weeks and plant your garden as normal.