JanetMarie
Almost Self-Reliant
Onions left in the ground over winter are doing nicely. There are some onions the cold frame also, along with lettuce, endive and kale.
What did you do in your garden today?
- Thread starter tortoise
- Start date
flowerbug
Sustainability Master
I weeded a decent amount today, and DS15 also weeded a reasonable amount too. A few more days like this and we'll get ahead of the weeds.
it is great when you can get any teenager to help in the garden. it has never happened here for longer than once and then they won't visit again.
likely it has a lot to do with the fact that your DS loves the things you grow and eating them.
frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
I HAVE A PROBLEM! Don't know yet how bad my problem is... I'm heartsick over what may happen and hopeful that it won't be as bad as I'm afraid it could be.
I live in a rural area, but have close neighbors. Our properties are deep and fairly narrow so they're close. I've know the kid (40+) that lives next to us since he was 10 years old. At one time he and my daughter were engaged and he has lived in my garage apartment in the past. To say I love this kid like one of my own would be fair. He's hardworking, kind and generous - and he f'd up badly in my opinion.
He works for the county and also has a side job every other weekend. The side job is working for a friend of his who has a contract to keep the area around a huge plant mowed and weeded. He spends 12 hours a day on a tractor on those weekends mowing and/or spraying herbicide to keep the weeds down. This isn't a small yard service - this is on a large scale.
Several weeks ago he brought home about 6 of those large IBC totes - supposedly empty. While he was gone - working his side job - he had a family member come to his house and wash the totes out. He spent several hours washing them and there was lots and lots of water involved. He filled each tote up and let the water run over and it flooded the area between our two houses. These are the large totes that hold approx 300 gallons of water. I wasn't sure what was in them, but I was concerned. At one point I texted the neighbor and even asked if they'd forgotten and left the water running because there was so much water on the ground. There is a slight depression in the ground between our two houses and it was full and overflowing.
Several days later - the grass in the area is turning white. What was in the totes? Some kind of herbicide - perhaps several different types. No one seems to know exactly what. They thought maybe it's Round-Up, but it could have been Command also. When I do a search for a herbicide that turns grass white something called Tenacity comes up.
Where is my garden? Right next to the fence which is only a driveway away from the depression carrying all the herbicide. Whatever the herbicide is has made it's way to my yard and garden. There isn't the level of die off that's in his yard and in the depression between us - but several weeds IN MY GARDEN have turned white - so it's definitely there. So far, I don't see any of my veggies turning white, but I have seen some slight discoloration on the tip of some leaves. Could be from our water shortage - I just don't know.
They neighbors are almost as devastated as I am. To say they feel horrible would be an understatement. They've offered to start an entirly new garden for me as far away as possible from the affected area. They have a tiller for their tractor and I've got several huge piles of dirt (that I was gifted from them when they dug a new pond). We could knock that dirt down and start a new garden. It would need to be fenced against rabbits and other wildlife that flourish on that side of my property. It would be up against the opposite fence, and those neighbors have let their property revert to a wild state. I get a lot of vermin that come over from there.
I am at a loss as to know what to do! This garden this year is well started and is/was doing pretty well. I've put hours and hours into it. It's possible that I won't have any other damage from the herbicide and that my garden can carry on as planned. BUT - I already know it's in the soil at this point. There goes my plan of keeping everything as organic as possible. Also - it's a bit late to start some things here, but not out of the question. I'm considering digging up my tomatoes and trying to move them somewhere anyway.
Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?
And no, I won't sue the neighbors. They couldn't feel worse and they've definitely learned a lesson - unfortunately it may be at my expense.
I live in a rural area, but have close neighbors. Our properties are deep and fairly narrow so they're close. I've know the kid (40+) that lives next to us since he was 10 years old. At one time he and my daughter were engaged and he has lived in my garage apartment in the past. To say I love this kid like one of my own would be fair. He's hardworking, kind and generous - and he f'd up badly in my opinion.
He works for the county and also has a side job every other weekend. The side job is working for a friend of his who has a contract to keep the area around a huge plant mowed and weeded. He spends 12 hours a day on a tractor on those weekends mowing and/or spraying herbicide to keep the weeds down. This isn't a small yard service - this is on a large scale.
Several weeks ago he brought home about 6 of those large IBC totes - supposedly empty. While he was gone - working his side job - he had a family member come to his house and wash the totes out. He spent several hours washing them and there was lots and lots of water involved. He filled each tote up and let the water run over and it flooded the area between our two houses. These are the large totes that hold approx 300 gallons of water. I wasn't sure what was in them, but I was concerned. At one point I texted the neighbor and even asked if they'd forgotten and left the water running because there was so much water on the ground. There is a slight depression in the ground between our two houses and it was full and overflowing.
Several days later - the grass in the area is turning white. What was in the totes? Some kind of herbicide - perhaps several different types. No one seems to know exactly what. They thought maybe it's Round-Up, but it could have been Command also. When I do a search for a herbicide that turns grass white something called Tenacity comes up.
Where is my garden? Right next to the fence which is only a driveway away from the depression carrying all the herbicide. Whatever the herbicide is has made it's way to my yard and garden. There isn't the level of die off that's in his yard and in the depression between us - but several weeds IN MY GARDEN have turned white - so it's definitely there. So far, I don't see any of my veggies turning white, but I have seen some slight discoloration on the tip of some leaves. Could be from our water shortage - I just don't know.
They neighbors are almost as devastated as I am. To say they feel horrible would be an understatement. They've offered to start an entirly new garden for me as far away as possible from the affected area. They have a tiller for their tractor and I've got several huge piles of dirt (that I was gifted from them when they dug a new pond). We could knock that dirt down and start a new garden. It would need to be fenced against rabbits and other wildlife that flourish on that side of my property. It would be up against the opposite fence, and those neighbors have let their property revert to a wild state. I get a lot of vermin that come over from there.
I am at a loss as to know what to do! This garden this year is well started and is/was doing pretty well. I've put hours and hours into it. It's possible that I won't have any other damage from the herbicide and that my garden can carry on as planned. BUT - I already know it's in the soil at this point. There goes my plan of keeping everything as organic as possible. Also - it's a bit late to start some things here, but not out of the question. I'm considering digging up my tomatoes and trying to move them somewhere anyway.
Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?
And no, I won't sue the neighbors. They couldn't feel worse and they've definitely learned a lesson - unfortunately it may be at my expense.
frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
Some pics of the damage.
- Thread starter
- #705
tortoise
Wild Hare
Contact the manufacturer for information about how long it takes to degrade in soil and what it degrades into.
It works on foliar contact apparently, so you might not lose more plants in your garden. Its apparently not particularly toxic and not carcinogenic. However its toxic to aquatic life. Is your pond affected?
It works on foliar contact apparently, so you might not lose more plants in your garden. Its apparently not particularly toxic and not carcinogenic. However its toxic to aquatic life. Is your pond affected?
- Thread starter
- #706
tortoise
Wild Hare
I would take them up on the offer to help start another garden. If your current garden can be salvaged, you can share excess produce. Win-win?
frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
Thanks @tortoise for the ideas.
Not sure it's only direct contact. The middle of the depression where most of the water was - isn't nearly as bad as the other areas further out - which is totally weird. However, there's one weed for sure that it seems to be traveling through the interconnected root system. I'm very cautiously optimistic that we might not get any worse than we are right now even though it's continuing to spread up into his yard and closer to his house where there was no standing water. We've marked the area each day and it's obvious that as of yesterday it's still spreading. (They washed the totes on the 10th.) It's either wicked through the soil or the root system. The water was never that high.
It was very windy that day so who knows, most of mine may be a contact problem. I will be thrilled if it gets no worse than it is.
Don't know who to contact as he doesn't know what chemical we're dealing with. The neighbor "thinks" it's Round up which has been linked to cancer. However, we have contacted the owner of the company that supplies the herbicide. He also doesn't know what was in the totes as he uses several different types for different issues. His suggestion was to water copiously so that's what we're doing now. I think we will go ahead and do some preliminary prep work in the other area - justincase.
Not sure it's only direct contact. The middle of the depression where most of the water was - isn't nearly as bad as the other areas further out - which is totally weird. However, there's one weed for sure that it seems to be traveling through the interconnected root system. I'm very cautiously optimistic that we might not get any worse than we are right now even though it's continuing to spread up into his yard and closer to his house where there was no standing water. We've marked the area each day and it's obvious that as of yesterday it's still spreading. (They washed the totes on the 10th.) It's either wicked through the soil or the root system. The water was never that high.
It was very windy that day so who knows, most of mine may be a contact problem. I will be thrilled if it gets no worse than it is.
Don't know who to contact as he doesn't know what chemical we're dealing with. The neighbor "thinks" it's Round up which has been linked to cancer. However, we have contacted the owner of the company that supplies the herbicide. He also doesn't know what was in the totes as he uses several different types for different issues. His suggestion was to water copiously so that's what we're doing now. I think we will go ahead and do some preliminary prep work in the other area - justincase.
Trying2keepitReal
Almost Self-Reliant
so much wind! 40s and gusty. going to go out and lay compost, hopefully turn it in the bed and then get a crown of rhubarb in.
Mini Horses
Sustainability Master
Are the totes marked or tagged in any identifiable way to define prior contents?
One pic shows broadleaf but no grass damage....leads me to believe "that" tote wasn't round up. Geesh.....very sad.
One pic shows broadleaf but no grass damage....leads me to believe "that" tote wasn't round up. Geesh.....very sad.
flowerbug
Sustainability Master
...
Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?
wow, sad doesn't describe adequately how i feel... i would not abandon the garden you already have started, but i can't tell how much it has gotten in there. the pictures of the damage are of his lawn or yours?
are further rains going to wash more of it your way or is the drainage moving things off from in between the both of you?
it's not like you have enough to do and with him doing two jobs he probably couldn't help out much either. sad to say that, but i think it unrealistic to expect much free help from him to keep up another garden even if he offered. starting a new one, could you keep up both or the least affected part of the original plus a new area? it takes so much more work to start a new garden.
