Nicholas Hughes wrote:I covered the rest of the plot with a bunch of extra corrugated tin roofing panels. I watered the whole area before covering but am wondering what you all think about the metal roofing's ability to get too hot and cook everything in the soil?
I am located near Grass Valley CA. Hardiness zone 7. Average temperatures for April are 64° / 40° and May is 72° / 47°. The garden is in full sun.
Thoughts?
I grew organic veggies gardens in a similar area of CA for many years and am now located nearby in Sac but am in 9a zone. My main concern is that it won't get hot enough to destroy the weeds. Because the land has been organically maintained (virgin to harsh pesticides and herbicides) there is going to be heavy weed pressure. I always ran into very heavy weed pressure in the foot hills and giving the weeds a wet, shaded place to grow (even if it does get very hot) would have made my plot explode with weeds. My particular concern would be those like Bermuda grass which require very little light and have amazingly deep roots that deplete soil and are extremely competitive.
Also - rodents, as mentioned. Giving them shelter might cause problems later.
Have you seen heavy weed pressure on the plot? Any evidence of rodents?
If so, might consider a sheet mulch with cardboard instead. It's not an ideal time to find place with cardboard but furniture stores and grocery stores are always abundant (if you can find one open right now).
I'm interested in your experiment.
