Okay so what I want to say is first of all comfrey spreads like crazy and you will never be able to get rid of it once you plant it. But it is a very useful plant for its medicinal value as well as it is a nutrient accumulator and great mulch if you are slashing it and leaving it. Nettles are also a nutrient accumulator but neither of these plants will give you nitrogen which you will definitely be needing for tomatoes. Try adding a clover or any other legume for nitrogen. Maybe bush beans then you will have food for you and the tomatoes.
Also, though many people just pull them out, common "weeds" are nutrient accumulators. If you cut, or pull, and just leave "weeds" where they are eventually you will have a nice mulch layer from them that will stop further weed growth while also feeding your soil and all those beneficial soil organisms as they break down.
But if you have to have all of the space between the tomatoes filled right now(assuming you are interplanting), then buy 1001. If you can wait buy a lot less and as comfrey spreads pull some of it up and transplant to where it is not. But remember...eventually it will take over the world.

ryinpairodice - I have a space in the back of my yard where the comfrey and nettles should be alright. I don't want to interplant them. I was just going to soak them in water, and use that as a soil drench. And I was going to use the sterile bocking 14 comfrey, that's not supposed to spread like the other kind. But I'm just going by what I read, so I could be wrong.

I was thinking about some kind of cover crop in the fall, but I'll still need something for this year. The spot I'm going to plant in is covered with grass and weeds. Lots of queen anne's lace, and various other things. I think I'll leave some of the queen anne's lace, since it's a carrot, and it's supposed to be good for the tomatoes. But I thought about mowing the area once, and raking up the mowed grass and weeds onto the bed areas. I was also thinking about getting some straw for mulch to smother the grass and weeds, so I wouldn't have to dig them up. But I'm wondering if the mowed grass and weed mulch would be enough, without the straw. I think it would be safer, since I wouldn't risk importing any problems with the straw. But I was worried too much grass might cut off the air to the soil. It's not just grass though, so maybe it would be alright? Then I could just cut and pull weeds throughout the season, and keep throwing them on top the beds, like you said. Could that give me enough nitrogen for this year? Nothing's been grown in that spot for a long time, besides grass and weeds, as far as I know.

Hmmm, sounds like a good discussion for the Organic Gardening forum here. The folks there have lots of great ideas for plans similar to your described approach so you might want to post this there for more input. It is an unusual approach after all. ;)

Weed teas, as nutrient sources, like compost teas have a good reputation but AFAIK only as a supplemental source, not as the primary source of nutrients. Personally I think it would be nigh on to impossible to provide all the nutrients needed - especially for a new bed - from weeds. I'd grow them as a good source of compost pile greens rather then for direct application to the garden.

But even lots of good finished compost added to the tilled soil takes time to break down and be useful to the plants so uncomposted weeds will take even longer to be of benefit - like next year.

Dave

very good point Dave. Anything that is going to be a long term solution is going to take a while to have an impact.
So for this year GC your options seem to be buying organic fertilizers or try growing some legumes at least for nitrogen. I am interplanting bush beans and using dutch white clover as a cover crop.
Also, since the straw I got last year had seeds in it and brought in weeds like crazy I am using hardwood leaves as mulch this year. They are cheaper and seem to be more effective thus far. If you decide to do that just dont use walnut leaves. Good luck!

dave - Good idea. I'll try posting at the organic forum after I think about this a little more. I should still get some benefit this year from the freshly pulled weeds, since I need mulch. But I'm going to have to find a better source for this year's nitrogen.

ryinpairodice - How long before beans would supply nitrogen? I'm planting some anyway, and I thought about interplanting them. But I thought I read they won't supply nitrogen right away, while they're still growing. I read a lot of things though, and don't always remember them correctly.

I heard that slugs avoid oak leaves, so I thought it would be nice to find some of those. But I'm always worried I'd mix in some walnut leaves, and get walnut wilt. I'm kinda paranoid about walnut wilt. So my plan is to rake up what's already there anyway. I have a wide assortment of weeds, things with pickers, small saplings, etc. So I should have an interesting mulch after I get done mowing.