My first thought was that you should install a high-voltage electric fence (if your kids are old enough to stay away from it), but that might just escalate things and make your situation worse.

Before you spend any more money on your property, why don't you consult with a lawyer? See what your options are within the law. He/she should be able to tell you exactly how to document what is going on. That documentation might be enough to persuade the property owner to take some action...or the police.

Good luck.

evergreens can be as expensive as a fence--could you afford a 6 foot high chain link and then grow vines up it? Maybe with a gate that you can lock? also, if a meth lab is next door to where your kids live, maybe it's worth it to let it foreclose and get out of there--do a short sale or whatever. maybe the owner of the home next door would be interested in buying it.

Take it up the line of command. I take it that it's the local sheriff's dept you're talking about so take it to the county--no results...then take it to your state attorney. Everybody has a boss. Good luck, you're going to need it :)

The snitch system strikes again. In a county in my state a drug pusher fingered a bunch of other residents when arrested, none of whom had anything to do with it - but they went through Hell anyway, the authorities apparently assuming it was legit. Guilty until proven innocent. One couple was a retired career Marine and a public school teacher who had worked for years to get their house, only to have it threatened by being fingered spuriously by the pusher. Nevertheless, it does seem like you would have some legal recourse.

So if you build a fence you are afraid they will tear it down? Like they did before in the front yard?!? That's tresspasing and desctruction of property. Get it on video...

I would build a fence....put up no trespassing signs, look into my state laws regarding "the castle doctrine", purchase a 20ga. shotgun (in your case i.e. female) and find a mean boyfriend who rides a harley :)

On a more serious note you probably have some psycho anti-drug types in your community who don't give a rats ass and might help take care of the issue, you just have to find them.

and finally, talk to the cops again, go up chain as mentioned above, talk to a judge, get a lawyer.

Meth labs can blow up btw!

Harleysilo's last line above was my first thought when I read your post. If the home is 8-10 feet from yours and they are cooking meth inside, your own home is in serious danger of fire and no landscaping or fencing can protect you from that.

My other concern is your children. You don't mention their ages, but you said they've come home from school to find methheads passed out in your backyard...are your children coming home from school alone because you are working? They could become victims. One of the side effects of crystal meth use is oversexualization - methheads can't keep their hands off of their own kids, I'm concerned for yours.

There are always options. As mentioned already, foreclosure is an option if you can't sell. It can often be a very good option in some situations, especially if you have any equity in the home. There are also investment companies ("we buy ugly homes" - those kind of companies) who will buy your home.

As for your local Sheriff's office, it's possible they think you are delusional - the police deal with citizens every day who are not mentally well and imagine all sorts of things are going on in their neighborhood. Call your local DEA office, call your local FBI office, just keep making calls.

I would not invest another dime into that house - fencing, hedging or otherwise - it sounds like the neighbors will destroy it anyway - you just need to leave. There are always, always options no matter what we tell ourselves.

Yes...meth labs do blow up! You are living 8-10 feet from a potential bomb which could cause serious damage and loss of life to surrounding structures. Assuming that you are correctly stating the facts that local government and the sheriff will not act then you must, to protect your family.

As a former elected official I often had people reporting this type of situation to me and I would bird dog the proper authorities and get the problem solved. I can tell you that in some cases (because you don't always know about payoff's and relative relationships) it becomes necessary to approach a local TV station that does investigative reporting. Once they shove a microphone in the Mayor's/sheriff's/landlord's face and start asking questions based on their observations swift action follows.

Before spending money on this problem...solve it by whatever method it takes.

If the local sheriff won't help you, go to the federal authorities. Start with the DEA - Drug Enforcement Authority. Keep calling until you get help. It's not right that you should be run out of your home by those criminals.

The chemicals from the manufacturing pose a potential health threat even if the place never blows up.

Absolutely! What bboy said above is dead-on. Chances are better that the house will blow if they are cooking, but even if it doesn't, that house is likely to be uninhabitable due to the fumes, and the fumes may be affecting you and your family as well. These chemicals do irreversible damage to lungs.

1) If the house blows and you and your children inhale the smoke, you may carry that damage for the rest of your lives...not to mention your own house may burn.

2) If the authorities shut down the lab, who will live next door to you then? What if the neighbor's house lies vacant indefinintely? Do you want to live next door to that?

No amount of landscaping can resolve the many issues you are facing. Get help from the authorities while simultaneously getting your family out of that neighborhood. You said the neighbor on the other side was barely any better...it's time to move.

More political rather than landscape advice: don't go up the chain of command because you expend your credibility an annoy people on the way up. Start at the top, and let the top refer you down; that way you come to people with a recommendation from above that your problem be solved.

But, you came here for landscaping advice. I would suggest something prickly and fast growing like Berberis or flowering quince - a plant I otherwise NEVER recommend because it is invasive. Check your local nurseries for what is available and cheap, though; you can plant anything there and it will be better than nothing. Make a garden next to your hedge, with whatever plants you can get cheap. You can pretend to start gardening for your mental health, but then you will have a reason to deploy what might be the most benign weapon ever invented: sprinklers. On nights of high activity next door, eg welfare wednesday, leave 'em running, or put them on erratic timers, or on remote that you can operate from inside.

And while you might have no luck putting up a fence ON the property line, you could, after defining your property line with a hedge, put a fence up ON your property delineating a little "safe" area around the house in which you could spend time.

Incidentally, the authorities might be able to do little to control these people, but their insurance agents might be real interested in what is going on in the house. I bet if the parents lost their insurance on the house they'd develop a sudden interest in what's going on. Or, the fire marshall may be a better friend than are the police.

Best of luck. You sound like you are looking at things with a level head.

Oh, honey, I read your post and I am so sorry! I have no advice, but know that we're all rooting for you. Keep us posted.

Frankly, I'm addicted to this story. I want to know what happens!!

I wish I could help personally. I'd be happy to make some phonecalls for you or something.

This situation is truely ridiculous. A hard working, single mother can't even enjoy her own yard because of the collection of losers next door?

I think the only good news is there is light at the end of the tunnel. Because they are renting, those meth-heads won't be there forever. Just the fact that they are meth heads suggests a temporary occupancy, chances are they will either die or be in jail in a relatively short timeline.

There are definately ways for you to effect change. Just try to keep your name out of most discussions...lord knows you don't want them angry at you for anything.

Talk to your other neighbors. See if they have noticed the activity at the drug house. Once they have made note of the bunch next door ask if they will join you in a letter to the house owner to make him aware that his house is being used for drug sales. Send it registered mail. Mention that you will go to the prosecutor and that you would hate to see the owner loose his house under civil asset forfeiture laws

Then do as you said you would do. Take a copy of your letter with you. Maybe the next owner will be smart enough not to let his house be used for drugs.

I hate civil asset forfeiture, but sometimes a bad thing is a good thing.

I knew a drug dealer that was allowed to keep dealing by the local police as long as he kept narcing on people. Been going on for years and he is still out of prison. Cops don't care. It's all about money.

I personally wouldn't waste my time with any of the useless agencies. Sounds like they've already turned their back on you. I'd call a local TV station, provide them with all the documentation and they can do a story on why your local law enforcement or landlord is turning a blind eye.

As far a plantings go, if the area is sunny, HOLLY! Pretty, evergreen, tall and very prickly. Those druggies would have to be feeling no pain to try to walk through those.

Sorry about your situation. With limited financial options, it's a touch place to be. good luck

YES...go to your local News TV station & report all of this. Try to get as much on video & if it were me, I'd put a For Sale sign up so fast my head would spin. Meth labs blow up all the time (I live in ABQ, NM, meth lab capitol). It's not worth risking your family's safety. Forget the fence...MOVE OUT!!!

For landscaping advice:
barberry is very thorny, tough, and cheap. They can be found in bigbox stores for $5 each. Will take a few years to get large though.

Willow is easy and FAST! You can just stick cuttings into the ground, keep them wet, and they will root and grow. It's that simple - cuttings in the ground, water, grow. You will have a 5 foot screen in 2 years. They are not evergreen, but you will have a twiggy barrier at least in the winter months. And it's FREE - just find a willow tree anywhere or willow shrubs and ask if you can have cuttings. I have a few nice willows - like "Flame", a shrub that has wonderful bright orange stems in winter.

If you can't find any willows around, email me with your address and I will mail you some cuttings. (If I don't respond it's because gardenweb is messing up about sending mail through, so try again.)

Good luck to you.

It is a shame, but I think this was a drive-by posting; it doesn't seem that the OP is back here at all and she doesn't receive email alerts when responses are posted. She also didn't enable her email and so one can't even email her to say that there are responses she should look at.

KarinL

Here we go again!,, Karenl, maybe this person IS actually looking at the posts and just hasn't replied yet? OR,, maybe she just hasn't had a chance to get online lately. Who know?

You really NEED to relax!

I agree with Karin. If you post on Monday, and by Sunday you haven't posted anything back, you're probably not really interested.

Maybe the meth fumes got to her???

I was going to say, I will fill boxes with barberry if she wants to cover shipping. I'll chop off the tops and send roots. I've got it growing wild in my woods and need to get rid of it anyway.

Maybe she was offended by people telling her to move,sell, etc.etc. when she just asked about plants?

Maybe GW needs to upgarde so we can see who's online!