What do you do about neighbours and pesticides?

[LindyAdele]

Canadian Here.

I live in a suburb of a major city, but an older suburb so the houses still have yards. I have a corner lot yard, big enough for an inground pool, a 100 square foot garden, patio firepit and about 10 trees besides. All my neighbours have smaller yards. Most are retired couples, and obsessed with lush weed-free lawns. Which means the local weedman guys have their trucks here on my street daily in the spring. They treat and treat over again until the weeds are gone.

Last year, I lost several plants while hardening off. They just wrinkled up and the leaves twisted until they fell off. These were the plants along the edge of the table I set my plants out on. I saw the next day that my nextdoor neighbour and the one accross the street both had lawn, weed, grub treatments that day. In addition, my accross the street neighbour regularly uses stuff he 'buys accross the boarder because they won't sell it here in Canada'. Once I planted in the garden, five plants suffered for a while and were stunted by they recovered eventually. I was pretty sure it was herbicide damage, but not from the soil, only those facing my fence which is open to the road. I am going to start hardening off this week and wonder how I can do this without loosing plants short of building a greenhouse!

I don't know what chemicals are being used, I only know they are capable of killing tomatoes.

Does anyone know how long this stuff stays in the air, or how far it can travel? Talking to my neighoburs and asking them to put up with weeds in their lawns so that I can have tomatoes is pointless...

[whoose]

Just ask him/her not to do it because is it affecting you, eh.

[LindyAdele]

I have 5 neighbors surrounding my house. They ALL spray for weeds/grubs, etc. I get along with my neighbor but I can't ask them to stop spraying. Their yards are their pride and joy. I don't spray and my neighbors resent me for it. I have asked them to please tell me when they are having the treatments, but they don't know in advance. They pay for the treatment for the year, as often as Weed Man decides is necessary they will come out and spray. Usually 4-5 times in the spring.

[Bipetual]

That really stinks. Two thoughts, for what they're worth. Would row cover possibly help with drifting spray? Another thought would be to get the neighbors and maybe the Weed Man a bit invested with your maters. Has giving them nice fresh tomatoes, growing a variety they like, etc., helped? It just seems like if you could make them understand the work and love that goes into them they might not stop spraying but at least be a little more sympathetic. Maybe you could talk to the Weed Man or call the company if the name is on the vehicle and ask if they could please not spray when it's windy. We actually have had a weed service because creeping Charlie was making my husband lose his mind. They would drive these tractors and spray and the only time it got on things it didn't belong on was if it was too close to the grass (yes I have peonies in my grass - they used to be in a narrow bed but I guess you're supposed to maintain those things ) It just seems to me like there should be a way for them to get the product on grass without killing other stuff. That's kind of the idea, right? And if they don't, well, they should be prepared to hear about it, albeit nicely. I would think customers would be having issues, too. Sigh...

[LindyAdele]

Thanks for your suggestions!

I do regularly give tomatoes to my neighbours. My neighbour across the street is the biggest problem (the one who buys illegal stuff from the USA). He hates tomatoes - or so he says. I've grown peppers for him (he says he loves hot peppers, but not mine cuz they are too hot!). Some people will always be stubborn. My backyard kind of

I think I might have to resort to floating row cover this year. I don't see any way around it!

I did wonder if anyone else faced this problem, and how other people's tomatoes survived! I am in a city that has banned pesticides for 'cosmetic' use, but all that means is that licensed weed people can use chemicals, not home users.

[Worth1]

I would think you have the right to make them keep their chemicals on their property.
Worth

Thankfully I dont have that sort of thing going on around me but if it ever happens and I find out who it is I will resort to legal action if I have to.

Worth

[UFXEFU]

They are most likely using 2,4-D, a broad leaf herbicide. 2,4-D kills weeds (and tomatoes) but does not kill lawn grass. You need to talk to the company that's doing the spraying. They should be regulated by the agency that issued the license to use that chemical.

[carolyn137]

This is not the first time that this topic has been brought up here at Tville.

The weed and feed companies are businesses, are already licensed to use what they use, so calling them is not the solution.

Giving tomatoes to neighbors and being friendly with them is also not a solution . If they knew which day they would be coming that might help and they could notify you, but b'c of weather they don't always come on a regular schedule, often those neighbors are not at home and come back and find those wee markers indicating the lawn has been sprayed. And asking them to spray when there's no wind isn't going to work either if the neighbors aren't even home when they do come.

You speak of young seedlings now and damage, not to be a downer here, but what happens when you have them planted out inground or in containers?

I saw the same situation when I lived in Denver where so many prided themselves on their dandeline, weed free lawns, oh so green. And especially those lawns since watering was rerstricted and you could only water or wash a car on certain days.

How I wish I had a solution for you, the only thing I can think of is renting space in a community garden which are usually far from neighbors, but then why do that when you do have space at home.

This is a tough situation to solve, and that's an understatement.

Carolyn, who almost forgot to ask how long have you been gardening at your home with no problems or is this the first time you've had actual damage to not just your tomatoes but perhaps even other veggies you might be growing when set out in your own garden.

[joseph]

The first time that happened to me, I put on my scowliest face, and went next door, and pounded on the door, and said in my firmest voice possible without yelling, "Don't spray poisons into my field". I have never had a problem since with that particular field.

A different field though was a constant irritation... Next door neighbor just couldn't mind his own business. He was always driving his ATV across my crops, and over-spraying my field with poisons. He didn't last in our community. We expect people to stay off other people's places, and he just couldn't fit in.

In a different field the neighbor is a herbicide maniac... One time his application of herbicide blew across his place, across my field, across a road, and killed the grain in a farmer's field. I was not at all pleased. But since I didn't have crops in I took no action. He is horrified that a weed seed will leave my field and infect his lawn. I go to great lengths to keep weeds down in that field. He sprays herbicides across the fence. And I ignore him. If he ever damages a crop, I'll send him a bill.

The county is always a problem... I put up signs like this to try to minimize the spraying in my immediate vicinity.

[Bipetual]

Such a shame there are so many people who feel toxic stuff is a given, regardless of the situation. You and your maters have my sympathy, Lindy.

[Worth1]

The crab grass is starting to invade my neighbors precious lawn.
Im interested in what he is going to do.

I keep my crab grass under control with a hoe and never letting it go to seed.
Worth

[KarenO]

It is the responsibility of the lawn maintenance company to ensure their product does not get anywhere on your property. There is no reason for it at all. I would bypass the neighbors and complain directly, in writing to the owner of the company (s)in queston. Mention : allergy, media, better business bureau and lawsuit... they don't care about your tomatoes, but they may well care about that...
meantime, shield your plants with row cover until you get a response. go to their twitter site, FB page, website...

KarenO

[LindyAdele]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

This is not the first time that this topic has been brought up here at Tville.

The weed and feed companies are businesses, are already licensed to use what they use, so calling them is not the solution.

Giving tomatoes to neighbors and being friendly with them is also not a solution . If they knew which day they would be coming that might help and they could notify you, but b'c of weather they don't always come on a regular schedule, often those neighbors are not at home and come back and find those wee markers indicating the lawn has been sprayed. And asking them to spray when there's no wind isn't going to work either if the neighbors aren't even home when they do come.

You speak of young seedlings now and damage, not to be a downer here, but what happens when you have them planted out inground or in containers?

I saw the same situation when I lived in Denver where so many prided themselves on their dandeline, weed free lawns, oh so green. And especially those lawns since watering was rerstricted and you could only water or wash a car on certain days.

How I wish I had a solution for you, the only thing I can think of is renting space in a community garden which are usually far from neighbors, but then why do that when you do have space at home.

This is a tough situation to solve, and that's an understatement.

Carolyn, who almost forgot to ask how long have you been gardening at your home with no problems or is this the first time you've had actual damage to not just your tomatoes but perhaps even other veggies you might be growing when set out in your own garden.

Thank you for your response Carolyn! We moved to this house 3 years ago, where the first thing I did was put in my raised beds! Before that I grew tomatoes in containers. I have been growing op varieties from seed, under lights for 6 years. The first year we lived here, some of my tomato plants suffered when hardening off but I didn't know why. Last year, I saw what happened and thanks to Tomatoville KNEW what was happening, but couldn't stop it. This year, the plants are not hardened off yet - we're still getting freezing temperatures in the daytime. I hope to start towards the end of this week.

Last year I only lost seedlings/transplants. Once in the ground several plants along one side (the side that is open to the road and my neighbours!) had twisty wrinkled leaves and were slow going at first, but they recovered. The others in that bed towards the back were just fine.

Most of my yard is surrounded by 12 foot cedars. I have a 15 gap with just chain link fence on the side of my house. Maybe I need a proper fence there.... or a greenhouse. A girl can dream!

[LindyAdele]

Originally Posted by KarenO

It is the responsibility of the lawn maintenance company to ensure their product does not get anywhere on your property. There is no reason for it at all. I would bypass the neighbors and complain directly, in writing to the owner of the company (s)in queston. Mention : allergy, media, better business bureau and lawsuit... they don't care about your tomatoes, but they may well care about that...
meantime, shield your plants with row cover until you get a response. go to their twitter site, FB page, website...

KarenO

I really am not a litigious person. People will say 'it's just a plant!'. I don't know anyone who's ever sued anyone in my life. The Weed Man is a big business here. Everyone uses them, very little competition, but the guys that come out are just young and don't know anything at all. I have read that pesticide can drift several kilometers. The poor guy with the sprayer doesn't have a clue what he's doing to my plants. I don't think any media would care. Very few people here grow backyard veggies - I'm a freak. we don't have a farming community, or a very green community sadly. I think floating row covers it is, until weed season is mostly past!

[heirloomtomaguy]

Originally Posted by LindyAdele

I really am not a litigious person. People will say 'it's just a plant!'. I don't know anyone who's ever sued anyone in my life. The Weed Man is a big business here. Everyone uses them, very little competition, but the guys that come out are just young and don't know anything at all. I have read that pesticide can drift several kilometers. The poor guy with the sprayer doesn't have a clue what he's doing to my plants. I don't think any media would care. Very few people here grow backyard veggies - I'm a freak. we don't have a farming community, or a very green community sadly. I think floating row covers it is, until weed season is mostly past!

Whether the company cares or not about your plants the threat alone will at least spark a warning from the company to its technicians. Maybe then they will at least consider the homeowners bordering the homes they spray.