Sustainable Gardening News April 2009

Michael Pollan’s anti-lawn rant made a comeback on the pages of the New York Times; commenters weighed in.
New green job opportunity! Most cities are still sending organic kitchen waste to landfills, but not in British Columbia, where Bin to Curb is operating.
The Women’s Bean Project. It’s green, it fights poverty – what’s not to love?
Got more squash than you can eat? The online VeggieTrader is here to help you find takers. (Or you could use a neighborhood Yahoo group – which if you don’t have one, why not?)
To dispel any doubts that fresh, local foods are IN, there’s a $3 iPhone Locavore app to help you find them.
Due to drought, Tampa, FL has banned the use of lawn sprinklers. Another reason to delawn.
Excellent eco-friendly lawn care advice from the New York Times.
See the results of the Great Backyard Bird Count here – including 93,000+ checklists and 619 species, including a new invader.
Scientific American has the definitive update on Colony Collapse Disorder.

I’m reading Michele’s Rules for Beginning Veg Gardeners. (Newbie here!)
Here she makes the case that growing food isn’t expensive.
Then she rants about a bill in Congress that could threaten small-time organic growers.
After a British blogger bashes raised beds, a discussion ensues.
Our Buffalo Ranter rallies the troops again – this time for an urban garden. Oh, and also for urban chickens.
In D.C. the Obamas and other feds are showing organic some love, and Big Chem isn’t happy.
Don’t miss Jeff Gillman’s Hort Research that Gardeners can Use, 2nd Edition.

Blogger Tom Alexander does NOT shy away from politics. Here’s his rant about "wingnut" climate-change deniers.
Joe Lamp’l’s $25 Victory Garden Challenge is getting lots of (well-deserved) attention. Watch episodes here and here. Press coverage detailed here.

I announced the new national media campaign Green the Grounds.org and called on bloggers to post about it on Earth Day. Supporting Organizations are coming on board and it’s starting to be FUN.
And in the garden, it’s all about the mulch – about 150 loads of it from my driveway where it was dumped to the beds.
And I finally met – at least by phone – one of my favorite gardening gurus – Paul James, the Gardener Guy of HGTV fame. Story coming soon!