yes I try'ed it a few yrs ago , wet the soil really good an then cover it with plastic , theroy it gets so hot it burns every thing off , I didnt even have any weeds for several months, besure to seal it off good , I left it on the ground for a whole season . just keept adding water every few weeks

"I've had some concerns that soil-borne diseases might be responsible for the death of some of my tomato plants."

John, I think it would be worthwhile for you to attempt to identify your problem first. Without knowing what it is, hard to say if solarization would be of any benefit.

Also, the article you're referencing isn't really accurate. From the article:
If you're using soil in beds it will have to be sterilized. Pathogens that wouldn't hurt many of the newer hybrid varieties will quickly kill off heirloom varieties with no resistance.

Nonsense. The author obviously doesn't know very much about open pollinated varieties (and not just necessarily "heirlooms") and how resistances (the correct term is really tolerance) don't really buy the home gardener much time. And even then, the tolerance must be of the same kind that the gardeners soil is affected with -- if it is even affected.

Also, the article looks like a thinly disguised attempt to sell an e-booklet.

However, the solarization instructions sound about right. You would need to do it during the summer and for at least a month. You'd also want to keep the area moist.

But again, hard to say if it would be of any benefit to you without knowing what your problem is.

I hope it works because it is the last resort other than dirt replacement if you must grow heirlooms. I did have good results with the hybrids VFFNTA and etc. And as far as the resistance/tolerance issue it is basically the inverse and the same as R/MHO in DC electron theory. AND the hybrids that I planted this year in Fusarium soil did not show signs of the disease! But they have caught TSWV after a very good harvest. It seems it is always something.

It may be late in the year for you to solarize. Additionally, you should check with your local extension office to determine if you can solarize successfully in your location. If it doesn't get hot enough, then you're just providing a minature green house for weeds.

Will "solarizing" kill the earthworms in the soil?
The earthworms are "good", right?
How can I avoid killing them?

I am currently solarizing an area (10 feet x 25 ft), that was previously just weeds approx 6 feet tall (for umpteen years), in preparation for a vegetable garden next spring. I had first begun to pull the weeds out and throw them away, but that became too labor-intensive, so I ended up just mowing them down. I found a clear plastic painter's tarp that is 4 mils thick at Home Depot, and it is holding up very well.

One more question:
If I DON'T remove the tarp after 6 weeks (and end up leaving it on all winter), will that have negative consequences?