Glenn Hollowell

Yep, thanks Chris. Roger on all that. I've always thought weed barriers and gravel was a failure of imagination in greenhouses and gardens...that said, I've put down a fair amount of the stuff myself. The greenhouse is an old glass one that I totally tore out last fall, and replaced with a Solexx half-arch against the house. Lots of insulation in the north wall as well as the exterior of the knee walls. Also have 2" of foam buried one foot down in the ground under the whole thing. I've been pulling a surprising amount of weeds over the winter so I suppose that the insulation and thermal mass are doing what they should. That all said, it is pretty much a blank slate as far as plants in there now.

Yep, thanks for the response. I've got a bunch of raw dirt down now and was thinking that if I could get some aggressive desirable plants planted in the miscellaneous spaces, (next to walkways between beds, under the water tank, beneath the planting tables, etc.) I might be able to get ahead of the weeds. Clover is probably my fall back, although I'd prefer something with more "table value". Some of this space is in the greenhouse so it will benefit from higher humidity + temps, as well as a longer growing season. Thanks again.

Thanks Mike. I'm basically looking for growing options rather than putting down a barrier on that patch of ground. I'm thinking not only about some of the space between raised beds, but also some of the miscellaneous space in my growing area that is not crop planted: the ground under my raised water storage tanks, under and around growing tables, etc. I'm wondering if there are perennials I could plant that would outcompete weeds and be useful for human use as greens, herbs, etc.  Strawberries might be a possibility, although I don't think of them as being terribly shade tolerant. Thanks.

I am looking for good plants to put in "between spaces" in a raised bed garden. This would be an alternative to putting down yards and yards of geo fabric. I've just done a bunch of work adding new dirt and was hoping to plant some "desirable weeds" to provide competition for the usual weeds before they get started. Does this make sense? A "desirable weed" that I can think of would be spearmint. What else? Ideally a perennial plant that could take trampling on and non-ideal light exposure without going all kudzu on me. Also have out-of-the-way places in the greenhouse where this would apply. Any one have thoughts on this or suggestions? Location is coastal Pacific Northwest. Thanks in advance.