You absolutely need to be concerned. Vegetable gardeners find out the hard way that even a neighbor spraying a tree in the middle of their yard can affect your vegetable garden tremendously simply by wind drift.

The fact that he was over spraying into your yard - well... that's just plain rude. You need to find out if it was a pesticide or herbicide and exactly what it is. Be nice and respectful when you ask, then let us know the verdict.

Man, I have no idea how to contact the farmer. I know he owns over 100 acres of Orchards around us, and there are 3 other orchards too! I think my husband might know which house is his. And the spraying into our yard isn't really rude, we are just that close. Part of our property has to be used as easment for him. Though when he mowed yesterday he came a bit far into our yard w/ the tractor, took out my stakes for the garden layout. Ended up bringing it all in another 6' to make sure that doesn't happen after it's planted.

Then you're a nice/and or understanding neighbor. Your city should have records on who owns what property. There are ways to spray to where overspray does not get into other properties, especially those with vegetable gardens.

;)

Me and that farmer would go round and round if it were me. He has an easment to cross the property not violate it. I would not move your stakes because he is an idiot. I would let him know that you are planning something there and ask if he would mind staying away from it. If he refuses, hit him in the head with a 2x4 that works well. LOL

wce is a scrapper lol. kek it is very rude for him not to pay attention to your yard and belongings. We have neighbors that tend to like to put things against our privacy fence...the home next to us is a rented home and inevitably we go through it with every renter...that and they have no respect for the outside of their home and allow cats and dogs to get in their trash and then it blows all over in my yard. We have had to pick up womens personal products before...now that is not only rude but disgusting. We have alot of money and time in that fence and i am not rude but i do ask and iterate the fact that i want to be neighborly but that i would prefer that they not lay things against my fence, i don't do it and i don't expect others to. I do home improvement projects and then expect to be able to do something new the next year when money allows, not fix something someone else has torn up. It don't make you mean to ask nicely and why move your vegetable bed, your neighbor just needs to be careful. He may have been in a hurry and just sprayed not thinking...just explain to him you have strawberries and a garden there i am sure he will understand.

It's not that easy guys. The orchard was there for generations before I was even born. Plus, by township rules, I have to alow a max of 60ft easment if needed. Granted they would never use 60ft, and I think that has to be split between us. When I put the first stakes up I took in consideration of the apple pickers driving the path that line my property line, not the tractor the drives up and down the rows. The tractors turning radius is a bit more than the path. Granted like I said, when he mowed and took out my stakes, he did come in a bit far, but to his defense, nothing has ever been there, and he probally didn't see them. I could barely see them from the house. I didn't notice he drove over them until I went out there to start digging. Moving everything up wasn't that big of a deal, I have the room. If he drives over it again and takes out my seedlings, that might be a bigger deal. Here's a pic I took last night that might give a better idea. The actual property line is about 10' behind the dug up square outline.

{{gwi:54271}}

As for the overspray. How can he not over spray into my yard? He's driving a tractor, pulling a white tank that sprays out both sides so he only has to do one swipe per row. And when he turns to go into the next row, it over sprays into my yard. I looked at my county extension page and the only thing I see that is sprayed pre-bloom is fungicide. I don't know what effect that has on veggies. i did look up one of the listed fungicides and it is also used on pumkins. Do you think if I call the county extension office they could tell me what's being sprayed and if I should be concerned?

if that is the case and you have plenty of room just move where you plan your garden. i would find out for sure if it had to be split and then if not move back your 30 or 60 ft and i would personally plant some type of a border there or place a fence. I wonder how far you would have to move your garden in for the overspray not to get on your garden? I am sure it depends on wind speeds and the size of particles he is spraying. I would also wonder how often he sprays during the year and what? You really need to talk to him and just tell him your planning a garden and that is the reason you need to know these things. It would be bad to go to all that work and then him spray something mid season that kills all the plants you have been babying.

You might try your local DEC. Some fungicides are not poisonous to people, some are. And most of what is sprayed on orchards is extremely poisonous and you should never eat veggies sprayed with it. It's why they always tell you to wash apples (and even that doesn't always do it).
Cooperative extension can tell you if you have to be notified when spraying is done. Laws on this vary from state to state but around here advance notification is required.
What's more, the orchardist who's doing the spraying is undoubtedly wearing a mask. Are you? Is your family? Spray drift doesn't have to land on veggies to do you harm - it can poison you directly.

I've never been notified of when spraying is done. I live in the middle of apple country. This is where the mass majority of Michigan apples come from. If it's that dangerous, wouldn't their be a huge concern for the water here. It's all well.

you seem concerned to go talk to this gentleman because you keep asking about calling your extension agent etc...is there a reason why? There is probably a number of different things available for him to spray, unless you talk to him directly i don't think you will know what he is spraying. Then when you find out you can by all means call your extension agent and find out any questions regarding your garden and over spraying...or you could call them first and see if they will get ahold of him, they may as well do that.

Do you think if I call the county extension office they could tell me what's being sprayed and if I should be concerned?

They can make educated guesses but only the farmer knows exactly what was sprayed. Even if you figure out what he was most likely spraying for, there could be a wide variation of products used for that purpose.

If it's that dangerous, wouldn't their be a huge concern for the water here.

That doesn't stop most commercial farmers in the least.

Talking to the extension office is like talking to a student insted of the princibal to solve a problen. He has to have a license to buy and apply any chemical. His license is regulated by the state chemist. He can be fined severlly or even loose his license. In Indiana the license for farmers is different from the license for commercial operations. If he charges coustomers for his spraying, it takes a special license, and that license if regulated by the state chemist. This is the place you need to start.

paulc_gardener,

is like talking to a student insted of the princibal to solve a problen.

This is incorrect. The extension service is a means to contact those with degrees in horticulture and/or professional horticulturalists. Obviously the expert in the field is not going to answer a general office number, but the person who answers the phone can get you to the person who is educated in the field in question.

Isn't is possible for him to control the spray from the cab? I thought that the nozzles could be turned on and off that way. Perhaps he is just being a bit lazy and talking with him might encourage him to cut off the valve on that side during the turn. I would be extremely concerned, esp. if I had children. Hell, I freak out when the mosquito sprayer goes by!