Oh, the Horror...Yard Was Sprayed

In March, we bought a house on almost 1/4 acre and cleared the backyard to make way for the largest organic vegetable garden we can fit amid the many other house fix-up projects we have to do. I was hoping to do a pretty low-effort Ruth Stout/Back-to-Eden-esque style garden setup 'cause...money/time. But then....

***Dun. Dun. DUUUUNNN!***

One evening, we happened to notice a sign in a strange spot on the very border our yard, notifying us that X company sprayed our yard. We called, and they said they sprayed weed killer over the ENTIRE yard, front and back. The sellers apparently never unsubscribed from their lawn service.

Our toddler had been out walking/rolling in it, I (6 wks pregnant) had been out pulling weeds by hand in flip flops, and so forth. We don't know what the timing was--the company isn't even sure who on their team did it. I know this is probably an overreaction, but I'm just so flabbergasted and appalled.

Anyway. So we know this yard was sprayed historically, and was sprayed again this year. (GROSS.) What happens to those lovely, glistening dreams of a bursting-with-life organic garden?

I know some of you will say to just construct deep, raised garden beds and import and physically haul massive amounts of hopefully-not-gross soil/compost/woodchips to fill them. Y'all. What easier/simpler/cheaper options are there in this situation?



Chemicals used, according to my spouse's notes: Echelon (herbicide), quinclorac (ingredient), dxlr8 (herbicide)


I hope you all are gobbling up lots of joy this gardening season! Thanks for taking the time to consider this.

I'd be so pissed!  My friend lost her Chihuahua to respiratory distress within a few days of spraying her driveway with Round-Up and I refuse to give the utility companies permission to spray the right-of-ways running alongside my property.   Now that I have a child I don't even want her playing in yards that have been sprayed.

Without researching each of the chemicals in depth, the only advice I can give you is to get the soil tested and consider growing in containers this year.  I know it will be a pain but it will give you a chance to grow something while you come up with a plan for the future.  If you decide on raised beds in the future, the contents of the containers can always added to the beds later.  Look for containers along the curb on garbage day and don't overlook buckets and kiddie pools.  I know it will still involve bringing in soil which is a hassle when pregnant and can be costly.   I currently have an overabundance of pots, flats and cell packs because people know I like to grow things and constantly are dropping them off.  I also have several old washtubs and old cooking pots that I've converted to planters, so don't be afraid to think outside the box.  If you have access to untreated pallets and are handy, you can  make your own containers and/or beds.

I know 1/4 acre isn't that big, but consider building some compost bins and put the word out that you're looking for grass clippings, leaves, wood chips that are from chemical-free yards and start making your own compost.   I've never had luck with Chipdrop but the state generally drops piles of woodchips alongside the road and I carted many, many buckets of them home last year to replenish the paths in my garden.

There's also plants which are good at removing contaminants but you'd be growing them as a trap crop and not to eat.  Once the particular contaminants are identified, do a search on the plants best suited to removing them from the soil.  

I wish you much luck and hope that you'll be able to have a garden this year even if it isn't what you'd originally envisioned.

That's awful! I would demand that they remediate the damage they caused.

(I doubt very much that this would go anywhere, but it would be interesting to see how it works out.)

Okay I did a quick search and found that all you listed are mainly used for crabgrass and broad-leaved weed prevention.   The quinclorac is supposedly good for up to 90 days which probably rules out any in-ground planting this season.  What I'm not easily finding is how long these products linger in the soil and what effects they will have on future harvests.   I'm sure the info is out there and hopefully someone better at researching can give some insight.

Aren, Michelle, everyone,

Since the chemicals sprayed are for pre-emergent crabgrass control I would bet that they do conk out sometime after 90 days or so.  Though I don’t like to admit it, in my Pre-Permies days I used similar products and they inhibited weeds for about 90 days after which weed seeds would start germinating again.  I have stopped using those products a long time ago and my lawn is still plenty healthy.

But from a gardening standpoint, why not just wait the 90 days, plant something, anything and see what happens?  What is the worst that can go wrong?  I do like the idea of encouraging microbes, especially fungi, ASAP as they will speed the breakdown of those chemicals.  Eventually, given proper practices, you will have nice, organic soil before you know it.

Another thought, this might be the perfect time to start a couple of raised beds.  You could bring in ideal organic topsoil/garden bedding and start fresh.

Just a couple of thoughts,

Eric

Lawn care companies are in the business of making money, and if they had a one time treatment that was effective for years and years they would go out of business. In this case, corporate greed is your friend as it means the crap sprayed on your lawn will stop working and decompose fairly quickly.

I can't believe that any business would assume that they will maintain their entire customer base. If I remember 1/7th of Americans move in any one year. So if that's still accurate they won't likely get paid for a minimum 14% of the work they do. I might investigate who regulates that industry and either threaten to file a complaint or just go ahead and do it. A years worth of organic veggies can be expensive.