Organic farmers rely on many methods for weed control. While cultural practices are considered to be important, tillage, cultivation and hand weeding are paramount. Soil balancing is a cultural approach to weed management that is frequently discussed but poorly understood. Likewise organic-approved herbicides are of great interest to some farmers but of uncertain efficacy. Soil balancing is an approach to soil management based upon the “Basic Cation Saturation Ratio” (BCSR) hypothesis, which postulates that an ideal soil has a base saturation ratio of ~70% Ca, ~10% Mg, and ~5% K. The effects of soil balancing and the efficacy of approved natural-product herbicides on weeds have not been adequately investigated. A long-term field experiment was initiated to determine the effects of various soil balancing amendments, gypsum plus limestone, limestone only, and an amendment obtained from a local company (Green Field Farms Cooperative) on crop, weed, and soil parameters. Respecting organic herbicides, a greenhouse experiment was initiated to determine the efficacy of cinnamon oil, manuka oil, lemongrass oil, clove oil, citric acid, acetic acid, and a mixture of citric acid and garlic oil on three broadleaf weeds and two grasses. In the soil balancing experiment, balanced levels of Ca, Mg, and K base saturation were not achieved following two years of amendment application, although changes in soil pH, Ca, Mg, P, and S were measured over the course of the experiment with the specific amendments applied. Soil amendment led to higher levels of K, Ca, S, Mo, Cu, and Mn in corn and soybean foliage in 2014, and S in 2015, there were no treatment effects on grain yield or quality. Conclusions about the effect of soil balancing on weed communities could not be made because balance was not achieved; moreover, there were not clear treatment effects on weeds. However, a rotational effect was observed. Clover plots had the fewest weeds in 2015 because fewer weed seedlings emerged under the nearly complete cover of the clover that had been established in the spring of 2014. The 2015 corn, planted in 2014’s clover/oat plots, had the greatest number of weeds, likely resulting from a heavy infestation in clover/oats plots in 2014. Regarding the natural-product herbicide experiment, essential oils generally performed better than acids. Of the species evaluated, hairy galinsoga was the most difficult to control. Manuka oil had the greatest efficacy across species and experiments. Cinnamon oil and lemongrass oil had similar efficacy to manuka oil on common purslane and common lambsquarters, but generally did not control weeds as well as manuka oil. Although most weeds recovered by 2 WAT, dry weights were reduced in comparison to untreated plants.