Speaking of organic fertilizer, I got up very early today to pull the weeds from my stone walkway. A friend of mine recommended using pickling vinegar to prevent weeds from growing back. I will let you know how that worked out for me.
I stopped using chemicals around the house and garden some years back. Funniest thing is we are the only ones on the block who get all kinds of animals living under the shed and porch. Nobody else seems to have so many "residents". I guess they like the environment!