[TomGoodWannabe]

Was planning to cover the first new plots with tarpaulin to supress the weeds until ready to dig. Seeing as my entire garden has been covered (deeply) in snow for 10+ weeks, will this have had the same effect as using a tarp ?
Any help appreciated thanks

[stompy]

Welcome to the site. TGW

The best time to use a tarp is in spring and summer.
The plants only grow verry slowly and sometimes stop completely in winter, so they don't use up their resserves hardly at all.
The snow will do a little damage but not alot, and the pirrenial weeds will not have been affected at all im sorry to say.

[bigben]

To add to what Stompy said - cover with tarp and when it warms up stuff starts to germinate and tries to get up to the light. As they cannot get to the light they run out of reserves and die. I have read that some stuff like bindweed and couch grass have root systems big enough so they need at least a whole season and perhaps more to kill them off. The snow would be covering weeds when they were not trying to germinate and so the weeds will not be harmed.

[prakash_mib]

To add to what Stompy said - cover with tarp and when it warms up stuff starts to germinate and tries to get up to the light. As they cannot get to the light they run out of reserves and die. I have read that some stuff like bindweed and couch grass have root systems big enough so they need at least a whole season and perhaps more to kill them off. The snow would be covering weeds when they were not trying to germinate and so the weeds will not be harmed.

I covered with tarp a patch in october and when I lift for a peek undearneath I see lots of seeds germinated and dying. will work as a gree manure too if am not wrong. hope i do get more spuds and less weeds. I am tired of watching weeds grow and occupy my plot!!