How Tarps Can Make Landscaping and Gardening Projects Easier

There are so many benefits to keeping tarps on hand for landscaping and gardening projects around your home. Tarps are extremely versatile and can cost less than specialized gardening supplies while fulfilling the same purpose. If they're tarps from A1 Tarps, then you know they're also durable and made to last. Keep reading to learn some of the top reasons why it's a good idea to have a supply of tarps on hand as you tackle projects in your yard.

Using Tarps as Landscape Fabric

What is landscape fabric? It also goes by other names - including garden fabric, landscape cloth or landscape sheeting - but they all essentially mean the same thing. Landscape fabric is material that can be used to help control weeds. It is often used to cover areas where you don't want weeds to grow, while simply going around any plants that you do want to grow.

Although they may not be interchangeable in every instance, tarps can often be used as weed barriers in much the same way as garden fabric. For example, say you want to create a gravel pathway. If you lay the gravel directly on the soil, it likely won't be long before weeds grow up among the gravel. If a tarp is used to line the area before adding gravel, it will help prevent that.

Making Yard Cleanup Easier

Do you want to make yard cleanup faster and easier? Simply rake your dead leaves or lawn clippings onto a tarp. If you're trimming hedges or pruning branches, lay out a tarp beneath where you're working to collect what you cut off. A lightweight tarp can be moved with you as you work; once you've finished raking or trimming in a certain section, drag the tarp to the next area you plan to tackle and continue working. By the time you're done, you'll have all the debris collected in one place for easy removal.

Great Plant Protection

Tarps can make great protectors for your plants. Help keep bugs, rodents and birds away from crops in your garden with mesh tarps that can essentially act as protective netting. And since mesh tarps let some sunlight through while blocking the rest, they can help prevent plants from getting too much direct light, which can burn them, without blocking it completely. Are you expecting an unseasonably cold night? Use a non-mesh tarp as a temporary frost cover to help get your plants through the evening.

Adding a Water Feature

Say you want to add a reflecting pool or koi pond to your lawn or garden. That's a difficult job to take on, right? Not with a waterproof tarp built to handle the weight of the water. There are even specially made tarps called pond liners designed for this purpose. You can dig the hole for your water feature to go in and simply line it with the pond liner of the appropriate size.

Transporting Plants and Supplies

Tarps aren't just useful in the garden - they're useful as you transport what you need to and from the garden. Do you have gardening equipment, supplies and plants you need to put in your truck bed? Line the bed with a tarp to help protect it and make any soil cleanup easier. You can also tie down a truck tarp over the top to protect your haul. If you're transporting balled trees and other larger plants, gently wrap them in mesh tarps so they can "breathe" while minimizing damage to their branches and leaves. Then, get your items home securely so you can get to work.