Soil solarization is a surprisingly simple organic gardening technique that uses heat generated by the sun to kill pests, pathogens, and weed seeds. All you need is some clear plastic sheeting and ...

Solarization also eliminates some soil diseases, including Verticillium wilt, Phytophthora root rot, Fusarium wilt, damping-off, crown gall, tomato canker, and potato scab, allowing healthy plants and ...

After you remove the soil solarization plastic, plant a cover crop such as fava bean or leave the plastic on until spring. Or plant crops and use the plastic sheeting as mulch. Just cut small Xs in ...

Why is Christian Science in our name? Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The Christian Science Church, and we’ve always been transparent about that. The Church publishes the Monitor ...

Are you looking for a low-labor, chemical-free method to help eradicate weeds and soil-residing pests in the garden? Solarization and occultation, often referred to as “tarping,” may be just what ...

Researchers raised soil temperatures in high tunnels in southern Arizona to determine the efficacy of soil solarization using clear mulch on the soil surface and with tunnel glazing or with no glazing ...

Soil solarization is a powerful tool in the organic arsenal—but can you solarize a bed that has a tree in the middle?! On the latest You Bet Your Garden, Mike McGrath discusses how you can—and ...

Note: This article was originally published in this newspaper in 2011. Is there an area in your garden where you are battling noxious weeds or other invasive plants? If so, soil solarization is a ...

Dear readers: Last week, I talked about my failure to raise healthy heirloom tomatoes in 2016. They were disease-riddled. Next year, I vow to do better. One of the ways to lower disease resident in ...

NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KTRE) - Remember the start of this year’s growing season in East Texas? More rain than we had seen in a good while, and then sometime in July, the rain shut off. That rainy weather ...

Most gardeners are reluctant to use chemical herbicides on their lawns — and for good reason. Luckily, one expert is here to ...