The basic use for any tarp is to protect and, when you need to be protecting an investment long term, a heavy-duty poly tarp can be used for several months. In this case, a common use for poly tarps to protect an investment is protecting hay. When you need to protect a season’s worth of hay and not have a significant percentage spoil or be eaten away by mold, hay bales can be wrapped in a tarp and stored for several months. In fact, some even consider heavy-duty poly tarps to offer better protection for hay bales than a barn. But, as with all types of tarp uses, the poly hay tarps need to be wrapped correctly and the hay needs to be put in an ideal location.
One of our clients, Wholesale Tarp sells separate hay tarps which, much like specific-use tarps like baseball tarps, come in pre-made large shapes to cover hay bales. The page for hay tarps has an image with how to stack hay tarps. Although the hay is stacked in a large triangular formation with a large silver tarp wrapped around it in this case, smaller formations can be used. The page, in addition, specifies the stacking of bales, including 3-2-1 and 4-3-2-1 formations. Another formation, in the case five bales need protection, is 2-2-1, with the tarp wrapped around the perimeter around all of the bales.
The location of the hay bale formation is also important in keeping it protected for several months at a time. As a general rule, you’ll want to stack the bales outdoors near some drainage or a location with run-offs so that water doesn’t build up near the base of the bales. Another option is, if you have a field of rotating crops, the bales can be stacked and kept near a section of the field that isn’t in use or is being used for a different crop other than hay.
