- 1). Fertilize and cultivate the soil as you normally would at the beginning of the growing season. If you plan to use irrigation hoses, lay them on the soil before adding the plastic. Water the soil or wait until it's moist from rain before covering, so the plastic will help hold the moisture in.
- 2). Dig a furrow 2 to 3 inches deep with a hoe along one side of the area where you want to lay the plastic. Dig another furrow parallel to the first, the same distance apart as the width of your plastic. If you're in a windy area, dig the furrows deeper, since it's the weight of the soil that will be holding the plastic down in the wind.
- 3). Unroll the plastic so one end lies in each furrow. Cut it to length with scissors, if the roll is longer than the area you want to cover. Start a second roll, overlapping the end of the first by 12 inches, if one roll is too short.
- 4). Drag the soil back into the furrows on top of the plastic with a hoe, to weigh the plastic down. Dig a furrow at both ends of the plastic also and cover the ends the same way.
- 5). Cut or tear openings in the plastic about 3 to 6 inches across, using a knife or scissors, at the normal spacing for the plants you want to grow. For transplants, cut an X and fold the flaps back temporarily while transplanting. For seeds, where you want to leave the soil uncovered, cut away the plastic or fold the flaps under. You may also make a hole puncher by attaching an opened, sharpened tin can to a stick and punching it down against the plastic.
- 6). Set transplants or plant seeds in the soil in the center of the holes. Add a few clods of dirt on top of the plastic around the holes to prevent it from blowing up.
- 7). Punch extra holes in the plastic with a knife or stick at low points where water puddles after the first rain or first overhead watering, so the water can drain through to the soil.
- 8). Leave the plastic until the end of the season, then remove it and discard it or roll it up for use the following year.
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