Weeds just love vegetable gardens. There's plenty of sun, the soil is great, water is plentiful, and the competition is weak. Naturally, you want to discourage that attitude.
First, kill the existing weeds with a product such as Roundup® Weed & Grass Killer. If your garden is in the seedling stage, pinch off small weeds nearby.
Once the big weeds are gone, stop new weeds from sprouting. Black plastic stops all weeds from sprouting. But two to four inches of organic mulch puts nutrients in your soil while inhibiting weed growth. The more you control weeds this year, this less of a problem they'll be next year.
Weeds are considered by most people to be any plant that is in a place where you don't want it to be. Some weeds are more than just irritating eyesores. Weeds are aggressive, which is why you see them cropping up beside less competitive flowers, shrubs and vegetables.
