Silage Tarps as a Weed Management Tool in Organic Vegetable Production

• Megan Brook, Plant Science, University of Delaware

• Abby Reeves, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Delaware

This summer I worked on a project at the Fresh to You farm at the University of Delaware to see how well silage tarps can help control weeds in organic vegetable farming. Silage tarps are thick plastic sheets that are black on one side and white on the other. Farmers place them over the soil before planting to block sunlight. This causes weed seeds to sprout underneath the tarp, but because they do not get light, they die before reaching the surface. This method can help reduce weeds without using herbicides or other chemicals. It can also help keep the soil moist and protect the structure of the soil, which is important for healthy crops. At the farm, I worked with Nathan Atchley to set up beds with and without tarps and tested different lengths of tarp coverage. Beds were covered for 2, 3, and 4 weeks and some were left uncovered as controls. We are tracking how much of each bed is covered by weeds, how many types of weeds we find, and how many individual weeds there are. We are also taking pictures of each plot using a square called a quadrat so we can compare them later. The project is still in progress, but we have already seen fewer weeds in the tarped beds, especially those that were covered longer. This could be a helpful tool for organic farmers who need easy and affordable ways to manage weeds without chemicals. Our goal is to collect more data and figure out the best timing and methods for using silage tarps. This research could help small farms grow healthy vegetables more efficiently and with less labor, which is really important in organic farming.