I use recycled corrugated cardboard under 3-5 inches of cedar bark mulch to smother weeds & grass. Where they try to sneak back in along the edges of my flowerbeds, I pour vinegar on them.

This year I concentrated on making sure the flower heads of any weeds did not go to seed. So if I was short on time, I would make a quick pass through the garden ripping the flower heads off all weeds. I know this will pay off in the future. I am the type who has to get the whole root out when I weed, so I am usually on my hands and knees. Fortunately this is the fifth year of gardening in our new house, so there are not near as many weeds. Free mulch from the town has been a lifesaver. And I don't have a hot compost pile, so I send any weeds I'm concerned about to the town's composting program.

Mulching helps a lot. I get free wood chips from my local tree service - I have about 6" on all my garden beds. I don't have cardboard underneath, but the mulch itself helps a lot.

I also keep a couple 5 gallon buckets strategically placed around the gardens. (I also spray painted them with brown spray paint for plastic - so they kinda blend in to their surroundings). This way whenever I'm walking around the garden, I can pull stray weeds that I see and have a convenient place to put them.

Agree on the heavy mulching w/ cardboard. That's my attack method this fall! You can even just plop it all down right on top of the weeds if you don't want to yank them first. :)

I rake all my leaves into my beds and actually "rescue" leaves from the curb to use as mulch. I really helps decrease the weed seedlings in the spring. Bark mulch or wood chips are even better, because they don't blow around at all. If you leave several inches of stem when you trim back this seasons spent plants, that helps to hold the leaves/mulch in place.

Martha

I still haven't figured out how you plant through the cardboard. Cut a hole? Rip it out and reshape it?

Good tips, I don't like to mulch too much because I like volunteer seedlings. And that's an excellent idea if you can't rip out the weed, get the seed head off and put in something where it won't cause mischief.

Dandelions and violets will grow at the base of important stems of roses and other plants to the point I'd be afraid to paint Roundup on them, not sure what to do about those. Violets will pull out of damp soil but I have to dig dandelions.

The final thing is tree seedlings. If you get them really young, they will pull up. But so many got away from me and I guess I can dig, use Roundup or both.

Years ago I got a mulberry growing on my terrace. I whacked and sawed that thing every summer, and the more I whacked the more mulberry plant (male I think) I got the following year.

Didn't know about RU and couldn't dig deep enough on that terrace. Finally some stump people came through and I got several stumps removed including that one. Now I have another one in with a rose and the only answer to that is RU but think I'll wait until spring. Gave it one dose already. Maybe it will die over the winter, leaves look stunted.