Heck, if it won't grow weeds, what do you need the newspaper for?

The newspapers are laid down on the assumption that the dirt is full of weed seeds. If your soil couldn't grow weeds, it won't have weed seeds. That's lucky. My yard, neglected by former owners, is still sprouting weeds after 35 years.

Gee, what does your garden area look like? Bare dirt in full sun? It's hard for me to imagine. Since it was wet, was it covered by mosses, etc? I ask as an amateur geologist.