"The Ranger" wrote in message \
I plant my newest purchases of heirloom tomatoes and peppers, water, and
watch. Almost like a bad Disney slow-motion movie on plant life, the
entire 20' X 20' patch of garden sprouted tufts of oxalis and foxtails.


MULCH! Before you set out plants, always wet the ground well, lay some
cardboard down, wet that too, and cover it with whatever organic stuff you
have handy. If you can do this in the fall, it will be lovely by spring,
but even if you don't want to wait you can poke holes in the cardboard and
set your plants down in there right away. Cover everything with a thick
layer of mulch. The weeds will have a really hard time trying to get out.

Planting a low cover crop around the tomatoes can help keep weeds at bay
too. Buckwheat grows quickly and smothers weeds. Or sprinkle some basil
seeds (or put small seedlings) around the tomato plants--they will help keep
weeds down AND give you an herbal accent when you pick the tomatoes.

Weeds cover the ground to protect it. Nature doesn't know the difference
between a desirable ground cover and an undesirable one. When the earth is
tilled and broken and left naked and vulnerable, weeds step in to cover it
to protect it. If you can protect the ground in some other way (by not
tilling and using mulch instead, or by planting something more desirable
there), the weeds won't be so necessary.
--S.