Originally Posted by simy1

you can mulch now, and it will eliminate most of your weeding, reduce
your watering, and help get the soil prepared for next year. Mulch all
the way to the first set of leaves for each plant (ten inches for
tomatoes, two for thyme), then spread it flat at the end of season. You
need to have a tree company deliver four or five cubic yards of free
wood chips. They are a pain to spread with the plants already in, but
at least you have to do it only once. if you put newspaper down before
applying the chips, most of the grass will die also.