Are Rubber Mulches or Tires in the Garden a Good Idea?

...nings blowing around and settling on the soil). I suspect that many of our gardening frustrations are related to our zinc problem. What about the use of whole tires in the garden, such as for planters or compost bins? According to a report by an environmental consultant sent to me by Mark, a Root Simple reader, whole tires do not seem to be a problem (at least in aquatic contexts). So it seems that we should keep those tires whole rather than shre...

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Saturday Tweets: Dubious Tips, Growing Furniture and So Much More

Gardening in the Age of Pinterest: Dubious Online Garden Tips http://t.co/Fm48N2bfiP via @WVgardenguru — Root Simple (@rootsimple) April 17, 2015 Skyglow: Timelapse film dedicated to the need for light-pollution-free skies for stargazing via @BoingBoing http://t.co/SBBVj0q9Tx — Root Simple (@rootsimple) April 17, 2015 If homeless people can’t sleep outside, Apple customers shouldn’t either http://t.co/Mh3sDHRZYk via @dailydot — Root Simple (@root...

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The Soil Beneath Our Feet

...on behalf of the soil: Our consumer decisions Composting Mulching No-till gardening Committing to not using chemical fertilizers and pesticides This being Root Simple, I know our readers are savvy–in fact, I suspect our readers know more about this stuff than we do. But I natter on nonetheless, preaching to the choir. I hope the information I’ll be posting helps to provide you all with a little inspiration, or a fresh idea. And if you are already...

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Saturday Linkages: Controversy Edition

Gardening Homegrown polenta? Floriani corn plants deliver ‘amazing flavor’ http://fw.to/2ju3QtE The High Line in Person by Susan Harris http://gardenrant.com/2013/08/the-high-line-in-person.html?utm_source=feedly … Knocked Out—and not in a good way by James Roush http://gardenrant.com/2013/08/knocked-out-and-not-in-a-good-way.html?utm_source=feedly … Hackin’ Open Tech Forever: permaculture/open tech startup: http://boingboing.net/2013/08/21/open-...

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How To Stop Powdery Mildew

...nions: Christopher Kennedy ‏@ckpfunk Bonide’s Copper Fungicide for organic gardening. I spray every 14 days this time of year instead of every other w/ baking soda. Alec ‏@Alec I’ve tried horsetail tea, sea-crop, baking soda, compost tea, and neem oil on mildew, but none compare to milk. Alissa Walker ‏@gelatobaby I just sprayed with a baking soda solution seems to have done the trick so far. And removed all damaged leaves. Alex Mitchell ‏@alexmit...

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