Grasshoppers, Weeds and Compost

I want to start documenting and becoming more serious about gardening. My garden this year isn't going to be what most people consider a traditional summer garden. I prefer to grow from Fall to Spring because our summers here in SE OK are brutal and just a few minutes in the heat triggers horrible migraines for me.

What I want to experiment with for myself are trying to naturally deter grasshoppers, kill weeds, and replenish my garden bed soil.

Grasshoppers: I found my first grasshopper yesterday and I immediately spread diatomaceous earth. I didn't see any grasshoppers today but I did find a lizard and frog in the garden.

Weeds and grass: I'm using grain vinegar to see how it affects grains and grass around my garden beds. This patch is looking a little wilted after two days of vinegar being sprayed on it.

Replenishing the soil. Once my fall/spring garden is spent, I want to plant a summer cover crop and apply compost to the soil so I can plant again in the fall. I started this compost bin in May 2012 and it started to have some beautiful compost by fall, but an armadillo found the bin and cleaned it out searching for larvae. I add shredded paper, kitchen scraps, gardening scraps and leaves. I haven't added manure yet to this batch.