I prefer to use landscape fabric when doing those sort of projects. Newspaper will work for at least a few months and maybe that'll be long enough for whatever weed seeds are there to germinate and die. You might be setting yourself up for weeding if you just use woodchips over the soil.

There are probably weed seeds in the soil brought in. I'd go ahead and put down the newspaper first.

Deanna

The reason to use newspaper, or cardboard, would be to suppress the growth of growing "weeds" as well as extend to amount of mulch material you have. If there are no "weeds" growing there now there is no real benefit to putting down any paper, even if you suspect that at some future time those "weeds" might grow there from seeds in the soil, because by the time any "weeds" would germinate and grow the paper would be digested, gone.
Of course there is no harm in putting the paper down either, but if you need the paper someplace else there is no reason to use it where it is not needed.

Thanks for the replies all.

kimmsr, yes, I guess the "weeds" are more accurately described as POOP (Plants Out Of Place).

It sounds like a mixed bag, but no serious harm can be done by putting down newspaper. We had it between the rows of our vegetable garden under the straw and it kept the weeds down for the summer. I just want a plant free (unwanted plant that is) woodchip area to play and hang out in. Any more thoughts out there?

Thanks,

SS in MN