I have done the unthinkable and used chemicals. In late-September,
the proposed garden area was drenched with Round Up. Four weeks
later the area was covered with black plastic held down with bricks.
It will be tilled in April.

But Len's Straw-Bale Garden is really neat. But my problem is the
lack of fencing and an over-abundance of deer and rabbits. Since
I live in an urban area, shooting/trapping the deer is illegal.
Fortunately rabbits have no friends amongst lawmakers, but you
can't eat them unless you kill them after the first frost due to
some disease they carry. So you either toss them in a hole or
feed them.

Len;s Straw-Bale garden is at
http://tinyurl.com/25vaq6

Dick