A non-toxic weed-killer: Vinegar.

There is also the gardening cloth (which comes in rolls), which is what I've also used. No weeds have grown under it.

Chemicals.

I believe we should steer away from using chemicals if at all possible. One way to do this is to use some good organic compost, humus, or some generic potting soils in your beds.

This wont get rid of the weeds, but will make the soil loose enough for healthy root growth for your wanted plants, and make it easier to weed out the unwanted ones. You are on the right track by pulling the weeds before they seed. Plus the vinegar method works pretty well as mentioned above.

You can also spread out some clear plastic on your bedding that will cook and kill the weed seeds. The sun will be intensified warming the soil up to temps that plant seeds will either burn, or they will sprout and then burn.

If you can find an earthworm grower in your area, see if you can get some pure earthworm castings. When you use the castings in your beds it will be like using steroids for your plants. They are like tiny little time capsules that retain water, and let oxygen and water get down into the roots. They also keep the soil loose so the roots can spread and grow easily.

When we use these chemicals we kill or drive away the earthworms. They are so important to our gardens. They tunnel around leaving behind little tunnels around the roots letting water and oxygen saturate the roots. Their little poops (castings) are 100% organic, and 4 times better than any fertilizer you can use.

Hopefully you can find a grower in your neck of the woods. If you find some and want to use the castings in your houseplants. Mix 3 parts potting soil with 1 part castings, and repot your houseplants in this mixture. Within 3 weeks you will see more growth from these plants than you probably have seen in years in your houseplants.

They make the weeds grow faster too, but this helps because you can get at them better. Plus they easily pull out roots and all. You will begin to notice that the weeds will be less and less if you stay on it. Soon what now is a chore will be just a few minutes of pulling weeds.

If you cant find a worm grower then buy some worms and put them into a plastic tub with a lid. Keep them in the garage, or a shed, patio, even in your house under the sink if you dont mind having them in the house lol.

Feed them all your veggie food scraps, napkins, coffee grounds, and if you can find some, horse manure. Dont worry about smell because they take the smell out. Every 3 months or so you can harvest out some of the castings to use on your roses, veggies, houseplants, and the castings wont burn the plants like other fertilizers so you dont have to worry about using to much.

After all it is nature, the worms have been breaking down the organic material leaving their little poops for the plants to feed on since time began. What could be better than mother nature

Vinegar is a good weed killer but if used too much it changes the pH of the soil and will also kill the plants that you are trying to grow. As with anything, use in moderation.

Gardening cloth put down will help to control weed growth UNDER it. But, if you put down an organic mulch on top of it as a top dressing, weeds will grow in the mulch. As a landscaper, the only time we recommend a weed barrier cloth is when we use rock type top dressing as it tends to disappear into the soil due to its weight. Otherwise, we recommend pulling the weeds in the beds or using an environmentally friendly type of weed control program.

There are a couple of worm farm vendors in our area. Due to our heavy clay soil, it takes a while to get them established, but they do work.

Thanks for the additional info. Turns out I don't have as much toxic stuff (chemicial) as I thought. The huge roundup container was empty and the granular weed block is half empty. When that is gone I'll be looking for something more earthworm/ pet friendly. I can buy castings locally.

So which vinegar do I use? White or cider? Or doesn't it matter?