Good intentions...

I think we are on the right track to have our backyard gardens.
I love my raised beds.
Oh, how I wish I could grow herbs and veggies all year 'round- wouldn't you?
Largely I am an 'afficionada'of organic gardening because I want to give back to this planet what it has given me over the years and years yet to come.
I have chickens that eat bugs and compost waste- to give me poop to put in my compost- to enrich my soils, etc. etc. You get the idea. Cycling.
I do not, however use the ubiquitous and popular hoop garden covers for this reason:
PVC manufacturing leaves dioxin and other toxins in our water and environment.
Check this out *yourself* if you think this is perpetrated by the lunatic fringe.
It is not the PVC pipe degrading into the soil-so much at issue- it is the process by which it is made. Plastic=oil consumption. Vinyl is not earth-friendly at all.
The use of petrochemical products is not green.
Like we said in the 70's - "Fighting for peace is like...."
well, some of you might remember this common retort!
The point is this-
to make a garden that you want to be good for the earth and organic with PLASTIC and PVC is...well, like screwing for chastity. There I said it.
Excuse the expression. I never do pull it off coming off all Zen and New Age-like.
I am an old hippie radical.
I will try one more time:
Please be mindful of the use of PVC- its manufacture creates dioxin in our environment. In Canada especially, First People have dioxin in water due to PVC manufacturing. I learned this from a gentle, old native soul.
Please be mindful in the use of toxic and energy hog (plastic) materials.
http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/PVC-Primary-Contributor-Dioxin.htm
LOVE the idea of the design- what is substitute for PVC and plastic?
May I suggest bamboo and floating row cover?
Check it out for yourself...dioxin is present in many "wild" Canadian rivers- related to plants manufacturing PVC-
Be mindful of plastics based on lots of oil production.
Reuse- recycle-relearn
PVC is BAD idea for gardens- please research it yourself.
Not environmentally safe.
It doesn't make sense to use plastics in trying to enrich the planet...the resources used to make these (OIL=PLASTIC) offsets any benefit to our one green earth.