A Tarp + Time = Do Nothing Weed Free Garden

[@DesolatorMagic]

And that method seems to attract small humans to the area lol

[@theoneandonly1158]

🤣🤣🤣

[@allisonteknon9811]

Your adorable daughter stole the show

[@TayDay1]

Man your ability to ignore the child running around you is astonishing! Bravo, Bravo!

[@jf9335]

That’s a parent for ya!

[@HarrisonCountyStudio]

It’s an acquired trait. As a father of four, I agree. Bravo 🤩

[@critterjon4061]

Watching your kid play in the back round is the best part of this video

[@lindawalker8239]

Iwas listening, but your daughter was a giggly bonus.

[@randude1]

Sorry, as soon as your adorable little girl came on the screen, we stopped listening to you...😆

[@michellecortez1694]

lol

[@butternutsquash6984]

I did this with cardboard boxes and covered it with mulch. The soil under was amazing.

[@lalystar4230]

with the added bonus that you can immediately plant in the mulch as well (depending on the mulch you're using of course, I used a couple inches of compost with some woodchips on top and planted some potatoes right in the compost after I was done.)

[@wisconsinfarmer4742]

Good old wood chips and cardboard.... and earthworms.

[@toddburgess6792]

Me too. So far, so good!

[@woodworkingfan1965]

Been doing this for decades...absolutely the BEST way to weed and feed a plot of ground, or just prepare for toppings like mulch/rock walkways.

[@scorpioslab]

That's called no till

[@patricklondon6006]

I've been using the cover method for my garden for 30 years. The worms love it.

[@andrewjackson9853]

Little girl; "Squirrel!" Runs off. . . 🏃‍♀️

[@inkydoug]

I love gardening but I get enough exercise at my day job, so a soil prep method that is as easy as leaving a pile of leave sit until spring is something I will definitely be doing. Thanks MIgardener.

[@ralph601]

That is how I started my no-dig garden with a 15'x5' black tarp left for about 4 weeks. Put out some compost and then planted. All is looking well.

[@jeannine9066]

I used tarps to create beds all around my house. It worked great! When it was ready I planted my bushes and perennials, mulched them & added a scalloped brick border. It's been like that for over a decade! It was so nice to see your daughter! I can't wait until she starts helping you in the garden!

[@jakob...]

I was worried that you were affected by the flood. Those who are affected will be in our thoughts.

[@TRuth.T]

Sad, for all the people downstream :(

[@pastor1962]

This works really good with cardboard too.

[@brendabennett3891]

She’s growing so fast!!! Gorgeous daughter❤️

[@SuperFX]

Trifecta+

[@barbkafilmout9449]

SuperFX hahahahaha

[@pepsionedawnvideos]

I did this with a tarp over winter and this spring it became my garden!

I covered my yard in cardboard and the cardboard with fresh soil. Worked like a charm.

[@Meghannblair]

Definitely going to try this when I add more raised beds next year. Also, your grass is awesome. Could you maybe make a video of how you get your grass to look like that without chemicals? Our whole yard is clover lol

[@katiew8511]

I laid out cardboard, leaves and unfinished compost under a big black tarp during the heat of the summer. When fall temps arrived, I pulled up the tarp and applied a bunch of raked leaves from the neighbors. It is growing big and beautiful annuals now!

[@russvtguy]

The message was shrouded by your young lady. Life is wonderful , just have to take some time and look at it.

[@Themurphyshow7]

I always do this when starting a new bed. Newspaper is my favorite material because you can wet it and it breaks down...roots can easily pierce it. Cardboard works well too... after the grass breaks down, I move the cardboard out for the border and put logs on top of it. This works faster if you do this right before it rains or soak it with the hose. Adds weight, like Luke said.

[@joannablueeyes5562]

So happy to see that your family is doing well and is safe. 💜🌱 Many blessings

[@zombiebychoice]

This one of the main ways I prep beds except I use cardboard boxes and just let them break down into the soil over time it really works great.

[@Sagern234]

This is how we took our ~ 25x25 garden up to 60x100 since last summer. Using silage tarps over winter and part of the early spring

[@SanDiegoCaliforniaUSA]

*Nice small crop of wild dandelion's he has growing there in his yard! Easiest and highly nutritious plant to have growing! Great for your soil too!*

[@timl.b.2095]

A friend of mine has gotten into foraging this spring and has been using dandelion greens and flowers from a lot she knows is not chemically treated.

[@goldenretriever15]

Thanks for another amazing video! Will be doing this for sure.

[@stephenohara6298]

Bro I'm in zone 7a idk if that makes it better or worse but I watched your vids and talked to a friend.... I got watermelon, cantaloupe, okra, tomatoes, lettuce, watermelon radishes and like 7 types of peppers. I'm using a kidie pool for sunflowers and plan on moving it to have dead grass spot for pumpkins.

[@JHaven-lg7lj]

That’s a great idea, I never thought of doing something useful while solarizing!

[@treasuresnownthen]

I did exactly THIS with 1/2 of my front lawn the first fall after moving to Jackson. Tired of all the stinking mowing, I broke down all of my moving boxes, laid them in a nice semi circular way, topped them with all the chopped maple leaves I could scarf up from my neighbor and waited. Last summer I filled it with free or cheap perennials. Tall phlox, monardia, russian sage, knock out roses, sun loving huechera on the border and it looks wonderful! This year all I need to do is keep the mulch thick and let the plants do all the work! Getting ready to kill more grass! 😀

[@MeadeFamilyFarm]

I especially love this method because it is so easy, cardboard boxes work too, but not as well imo.

[@samartinez1988]

This channel and Epic Gardening has changed my green game.

[@doylerowland7235]

I've always used a thick layer of straw (purchased from a local farmer, of course) to shade out grass for new beds. Lay it down, wait about three weeks, then till it in. Voila, new planting bed with some organic material guaranteed to attract the worms.

[@jamespawlak6370]

Haha I have several bald patches in my yard because I get "lazy" after working on the garden all summer it just expands my next year's garden lol

[@Punkydoodle007]

On a whim I decided to make a whole new garden area this year. I wish I had planned ahead and did this method before planting. Would have been so much easier than removing all the grass with a shovel. I have since added cardboard and mulch around my plants so hopefully next years bed prep will be a cinch.

[@Donna_G]

We used clear plastic sheeting to accomplish the same thing. The sun shines through the plastic and raises the temperature beneath the plastic to a heat level high enough, that it will kill anything under it including weeds and pests.

[@Themurphyshow7]

This practice may harm the worms, which you'll want when you turn it into a garden!

[@Donna_G]

@@Themurphyshow7, that's a good point; but, I don't think we have worms here unless they live very deep in the ground. When I lived in Ohio, I used to see worms on the sidewalk after every rainfall. The same is not true here.

[@TurnAndSplat3888]

Do you have any advice on how to get rid of Johnson grass? My yard is an old pasture and the Johnson grass is very prolific. It has survived years of being covered. Grass kill doesn’t work. Pulling the roots is nearly impossible due to them being very fragile and acting like the sorcerers apprentice broom problem. I need help!

[@Bright_iiii_s]

I'm watching the flood news right now hope you all are okay

[@Seiferboi]

My director at work uses old newspaper to stop weeds from growing. I told my mom about that earlier tbis week and she asked about the ink harming the plants. I didn't know the answer to that, but don't elementary students use newspaper to create bio-degradable pots for seeds they grow during that science lesson?

[@TheLeisamarie]

Most newspaper ink is soy based, not the shiny ad pages, just the regular newspaper pages.

[@marywatkins9438]

I basically restored my yard with cardboard and burlap sheet mulching. And I used compost and landscape fabric to prep my newer beds. Haven't tried tarp yet, but I am confident that it would also work in my yard.

[@j.l.thurman2725]

Charles Dowding does something similar with cardboard then puts compost on it. We did dig our garden, but I've laid cardboard over it and now put compost on it since we got a literal tonne. 2 of them we don't need to do this with. What do you recommend for things like gophers or woodchucks?

[@mawrawmiller561]

Explains why I have even more grass next to where I'm trying to get rid of it!❤️🌿✨

[@NguyenVinhHang]

Thank you for these weed suppression tips, we want to start an edible garden and we have plenty of tarps and kiddie pools! 😀

[@valeriehowden471]

We had a big kiddie pool in our yard last year with grass underneath. It was in a low lying area with poor drainage. We had to close our windows for at least a week cause the smell from a wet, all green compost pile with no oxygen was horrific. It had to dry out before the odour disappeared. Yes, all the weeds and grass were gone but so was our sense of smell. Surprised our neighbours didn't complain. I prefer to lay down cardboard then build raised beds on top any day. Lil' G is adorable by the way.

[@WinsomeWinslet]

My brother had a huge blow up pool that did the same! He said it smelled like decaying bodies for a month. LOL

[@terran33]

Another reason to use a heavier tarp is that field mice would use the lighter tarps as a sort of tunnel network to get around as it will prevent larger predators from getting to them. They would then burrow under the lighter tarps to build nests and take bites from your crops.

[@theresnobodyhere5778]

would be good to see a weekly ,5 minute walk a round your garden as plants progress lets us see how far on good growing plants look and point out anything going wrong anyways great videos

[@wordynerd48]

Thanks so much! Love the concept of auto pilot gardening. I would love to see more herb growing guides when you the chance. I bought seeds from your store, had a quick delivery, 100% germination, and the strongest seedlings I’ve ever had. Keep doing what you do! Grow big or grow home!

[@kimberlywilliams6422]

We have a large population of the most evil weed imaginable: perennial ragweed, that regenerates new plants from root fragments. So basically, you pull one, get 10. Would this method work for those? They even come up through cardboard layers underneath raised beds. Need permanent help for this weed without using bad chemicals.

[@carolynsteele5116]

Thanks, this is an amazingly simple method. I've used sheets of old plywood to prepare a garden bed. Have also transformed weedy edges with newspaper and a thick layer of grass clippings.

[@uniqutilities2831]

I use this method! So much easier than tiling everything up.

[@whitney6641]

Tilling is evil! It just refreshes the weed and grass seeds!

[@sumyungsumwise4520]

Could you do a video specifically about growing in clay dominated soil what to avoid, extra steps, what grows etc. I’d appreciate it

[@samartinez1988]

Luke, we still need to know the secrets to growing dank buds. God created Cannabis, and it's sacred.

[@erdiaz13]

🤣🤣

[@xpropriate9863]

Can this be used over weeds instead of lawn grass? Can you then sheet mulch over that? I'm trying to avoid trimming any weeds since I don't have a machine.

[@RaechelleJ]

I wanted to expand my garden so i did this with a tarp i have.

[@MarcellHobbs]

Your little curious helper is absolutely adorable!💖

[@jenniferw8963]

6:37 oh please plant some stuff in there :). You can put chipping green next to it :). Maybe one to each side of the chipping green :)

[@erdiaz13]

Yes, I definitely call it procrastination! 😅 Maybe partial laziness... 😏

[@harrisons7873]

I used this method (large cardboard weighted down with a few bricks) to put in a new garden bed in an overgrown vacant lot next to my house (that gets WAY more sun than my yard). Worked like a dream! When I turned it over after a few weeks, there were probably 1 million ants but I left it turned over and they all disappeared within an hour or so and didn't return. Now I have pumpkins growing!!

[@ramtharthegreat]

For anyone looking to use this method on a large area, try a silage tarp. If you have a livestock farmer in the area, they may have a piece they could give you, or I get mine from AM Leonard. Silage tarp is heavy-duty, comparatively light weight, and inexpensive, and does a great job for this process. I hold it down with sand bags.

[@derelict1172]

I've been doing this every winter in the garden using black visqueen, works a treat

[@luelee7007]

It's funny you made this video.... just today I moved a container I'm growing Cucumbers in and all the grass was completely dead where the container had been. However, the grass around the area was flourishing. So I accidentally came across this notion. 😊

[@antmen5435]

Less competition for the grass on one side helps also

[@anniecochrane3359]

Yep i've used this method here in New Zealand for many years. Particularly when i want to start a new bed, I lay down black plastic and leave it for a couple of months. It takes that long where I live because the Kikuyu grass which predominates in the warmer areas here is very invasive and tough. When people complain about not being able to get rid of it to garden, this is the method I recommend. And, just as you say, I'm left with a beautiful patch of weed/grass free black earth ready to go. It doesnt work well with the couch/wire grass though which is very wiry and more deeply rooted - it seems to disappear, and then comes back when the plastic is lifted. But its been knocked back and is then much easier to dig out. I loved your little girl's interest in everything she walked over or by. A gardener's daughter!

[@lisakelley9451]

Your adorable daughter was a great addition to the video! Thanks for all the great info you share... and keep up the great parenting, dad! :o)

[@bwayne40004]

I pushed aside a six foot around "compost pile" (actually my poor excuse for attempting to compost....yet again) to plant a good handful of potatoes last year. The soil was so soft and workable with just a fork. Nice potatoes in the end also!

[@likethedrinkbutspelleddiff4605]

As a father of young kids I know how fast kids grow up, but after binge watching your videos the last few weeks your daughter has grown up insanely fast.

[@jeremyannconard8134]

God bless your family. Enjoy your time together.

[@jenjoy4353]

I started my raised beds with cardboard on the lawn. Filled half the bed with soil and started compost in the other sided. It worked well. This year the compost is ready to plant into as well.

[@montanatreasurehunter9600]

Yup had many kiddy pool rings in the lawn lol.

[@RockinGFarm]

Loved the information and seeing your daughter in the video. I thought she was going to go in for the worms.😂

[@melissanguyen4904]

I love how green and lush your grass is! Moving here in sc from up north it is an intense process to get nice grass to grow down here.

[@saimaalam2667]

Could you please give some info about how to connect normal hose with soaker hose or dipping line? I have watched some online videos but they seemed so technical , I need some simple info to do it by myself. Thank you!

[@liah55]

I'm loving your assistant in the back 🤣

[@balton6978]

Why did I not think of this? Thanks for the great advice.

[@dustyandchelseamcclellan5670]

I've had this happen before but it never looks like that ... it still looks like a giant clay pot underneath 😂 We just add compost and mulch.

[@matthewkizziahcuzia...gott9632]

I have used an outdoor rug that I move around trying to find the best light in the yard. Trying different areas before I set my garden for sure

[@dr.venuswilliams7556]

I do this all the time on purpose and it works perfectly.

[@BadBrad119]

what if weed is what you're trying to grow :P

[@mollypeters815]

We're using a silage tarp to kill grass for a pumpkin patch, weighed down with cement bags. Had to go back and dump dirt around the entire perimeter. Can't wait to get our plants in!

[@bobbiwest6625]

I had a ten foot wood pile in field.old trees cut down. Its been 5 years or more. Now there is a volunteer tree covering the whole pile. Lol who knew would do that.take care.

[@japaneseflea]

just removed a pallet with some old firewood yesterday and told the kids i had a new garden patch ready. 50+ worms, roly polies, and a toad to eat them all. no snakes! which is why i was moving the pile to begin with.

[@LoriTianSailiata]

I’ve been using cardboard for decades. Something I stumbled upon as a military wife. Plenty of moving boxes. Not much faith in the quality of the soil or what the previous occupants did to it. Cardboard, semi raised beds and lots of mulch, both in the beds and walkways.

[@MalkiZee]

Thanks for your service.

[@earlywinter6749]

Love, love , love this video!!! I want to plant in my front yard but did not want to dig up all the grass. This is a perfect solution to my problem.

[@GrowingDawn]

This is awesome info! Love your channel, you have helped us so much in our own gardening endeavors!

[@ReSprout]

Oh, what, that pile of leaves?? I didn’t FORGET that! That’s my COMPOST PILE! 😂 Totally using that on the hubby.

[@jasondietrich8866]

What is you though on using straw instead? I am partially actually doing it to increase organic matter, but also for weed control?

[@Forever6245]

We rented a hot tub for a weekend last year and a year later the spot still has no grass 🙃 I’m going to dig it up lay a brick border, a tarp and some broken pavement slabs for a little fire pit patio 🔥🙊

[@jeaniepartridge6701]

I assume the patch met Geneva's approval she is so precious. I have used the covering method with cardboard or wood works great.

[@guykenniker9498]

I used left over roofing shingles. Works great

[@rosea830]

We're actually using a tarp to kill off 250 sq ft for another plot garden. We use the fall leaves and chicken bedding in the fall to mulch our garden beds when they rest.

[@miao2572]

This reminds me of lasagna gardening. I used cardboard to smoother the grass in my raised garden beds. There are definitely some issues with the edges but no more than weeds

[@davidherzing1496]

anyone know how a controlled burn would effect soil, etc?

[@WhatSoEverThingsAreLovely]

You've just answered ALL my weed killing questions in 8 short minutes!! Thank you so much for taking the time to put this out there for people like me to benefit from. Much appreciated!!

[@amberathillsidehomestead4831]

Oh my goodness your daughter is so precious.

[@angiekay5790]

would you cover your garden this way at the end of fall into early spring to protect nutrients and kill off any late season weeds?

[@Themurphyshow7]

Yes!

[@jimbobba0233]

Does this the last 2 years, flip my winter cover crop after the ground thaws then cover with a tarp for a month or so. As soon as the tarp comes off, I’m ready to plant

[@tico78742]

Did this last year to get ride of a large patch of ornamental grass that had gotten out of control. Weed killer wasn’t killing it so I just covered it for the summer. Finally killed it.

[@bergfridskaaradias2071]

Had this effect with bags of soil and wood chips that were delivered right before I had an accident and was unable to garden for months.

[@thepandaman]

I just seem to end up breeding voles when I try this. Maybe I need to cut the grass more beforehand and weight it down more.

[@peterfowke7818]

Luke your are very interest person.

[@catherinemilliganrn]

The taller/thicker grass is how I know to look for something in the grass when I’m mowing. Lol.

[@anafindlay1696]

Geneva it's getting so big...so adorable 💕