A keen gardener was devastated after their landlord hired a company to spray pesticides outside their house.
They described to the r/OrganicGardening community how they were out of town when some of the work was done. When the workers returned to reapply the chemicals, they had to rush outside to tell them not to spray the products on their compost heap or elsewhere in their garden.
"I'm realizing that they must have sprayed at least some areas of the garden while I was out of town and I'm absolutely sick thinking about the damage that's been done," they added.
Since the application of pesticides, the original poster has noticed "a significant decrease of life in the garden." They issued a cry for help, asking if anyone had any advice to fix the situation.
"Should I remove all of my plants, the top layer of straw, and work on reintroducing new organic life to my garden?" they said. "Are all of my edibles trash?"
Redditors showed sympathy for the terrible situation.
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"I'd be heartbroken and sick to my stomach also," one person said. "How awful!"
They noted that the landlord should be made aware of the issue and instructed to notify the tenant if further work is to be carried out.
Landlords and homeowners associations have often been accused of lacking consideration for environmentally friendly or beneficial changes to properties. This person obviously valued their garden, in which they grew food. In addition to allowing them to reduce their food bills with homegrown produce, the garden also benefited the ecosystem by bringing in pollinators. Those pesticides will reduce the presence of these vital creatures.
Talking to landlords and HOAs to help them understand concerns about these issues can allow you to live a happier, more sustainable life and even help to improve the community and boost home prices.
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If pesticides are absolutely necessary, there are many nontoxic products that can be used, while gardening techniques such as companion planting and trap crops can also keep bugs at bay.
"Learn more about what they are using," another Redditor said. "It might not be as bad as you think. Our landlords have people spray around every couple of months for bugs but they use a natural, super concentrated peppermint and rosemary spray. It smells awful but is safe after it dries for kids and pets."
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