Weed barriers

There is a garden in there somewhere!

The need for a weed barrier is a must in the 2009 garden. Living 4 hours from the farm and the little kitchen garden at the country church we stay in (we own it - its not a church anymore) proved to me last year that the weeds can grab and take hold.
The garden when I planted it.

How am I going to manage it this year? Good question. As much as I hate to, I think I need a barrier mulch. No plastic though. Territorial Seed has some interesting biodegradable and compostable mulching film. They begin to decompose in 50-60 days and will be 95% degraded within 90 days. For the most part, I am against this type of gardening, but in the war or weeds in the garden, and mostly because I am 200 miles away - I think I must try this for this growing season.

For the farm, I'm planning 4 or 5 4'x20' beds. I'm going to do 1 to 2 beds of the traditional Native American Three Sisters planting. So far, I'm planning:

A whole bed of peppers:
Hot Portugal (6)
Hot Romanian (6)
Jalapeno (6)
Serrano (6)
Paprika (6)

Three Sisters comprised of:

Corn: Black Aztec Sweet Corn, Stowell's Evergreen Sweet Corn,

Squash: Fairy (9), Long Island Cheese (9), Small eating pumpkin (9)
Beans: Kentucky Wonder, Rattle Snake, Purple Pod

Squash: Potimarron (5)

Melon: Collective Farm Woman (4)

Beans on trellis: Christmas Lima (10), Vigna Yard Long (5), Chinese Green Noodle Long Bean (5)

Potatoes: Purple Peruvian and Yellow Finn.

That's as far as I've gotten in my planning.