If you're really desperately trying to find a place to surf, visit the homepage of my colleague Bob , who also works with Jane Mt. Pleasant . Intercropping and cover cropping work. In addition, there is more research on cover crops being done at Penn State by N. Hartwig and W. Curran , as well as by John Teasdale at USDA, Beltsville, Maryland, both in corn and in tomatoes. Newer equipment does make it possible to cultivate for weed control while also maintaining soil structure and surface plant residues. Herbicides are also necessary if one wishes to grow field crops in narrow rows - narrow rows give the crop a competitive advantage against weeds, but make cultivation impossible.
Narrow rows can also result in higher yields, especially in soybean.
Removing in-row weeds without herbicides is best done with a rotary hoe, and a rotary hoe must be used early and often to remove weeds. For more information about weed control, see the Weed Science Society of America web site , or a site with beautiful weed photos from Iowa State .