"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...

If I was starting a new garden plot, I would spray one time with Roundup
(actually, probably a generic equivalent) in late spring when the weeds
and grass are growing good.


See, to me, putting poison on weeds is just a waste of good organic matter!
I prefer to either smother them, or if that's not possible, pull them and
put them back into the bed to rot. Either way it means more nutrients for
my garden. I used to loathe the thick stand of Timothy grass we have
invading our garden beds, but once I saw it as virtually the only source of
nitrogen in the later months of our dry, hot summer climate, I just get
excited when I see it growing well, because I get to chop it down and put it
on my vegetables!

People really need to understand that weeds are nature's way of protecting
the earth. When you expose a patch of earth bare (as with tilling), weeds
will sprout to cover it. You can't expect to have pure bare land. Killing
weeds solves a temporary problem but doesn't solve it forever, unless you
plan to keep putting poison on there year after year. When the ground is
bare, weeds will grow, no matter what you do. So the key is to NOT let the
ground remain uncovered. Mulches and cover crops can help protect the earth
so that weeds don't have to.
--S.