Julianna, No need to be distressed, you have a mighty tool to deal with your neighbor and their concept of gardening. I live on a farm that is surrounded by cotton and tobacco fields. The plot behind my home is twenty-three (23) acres that are leased to a farmer that plants cotton each year on this plot. Needless to say he sprays that field with some of everything all year long. Like you, I too was concerned with all that poison getting on my vegetables. Well, I asked him why he didnÂt grow organically? His reply was that it would cost too much money to spray the fields. Curious to find out if this was true I did some research which eventually led me to The University of Georgia. The entire page has very informative information, worth taking the time to read. However, on one of their sections is this statement: "The persistence, degradation, bioavailability, leachability and volatility of pesticides are directly related to the nature and concentration of SOM. Certain soil-applied herbicides are bound by SOM, and this reduces their availability and requires high application rates to achieve effective weed control. High SOM and its associated microbial activity may also lead to faster degradation of soil-applied herbicides. Therefore, some products specify rates based on SOM. These SOM ranges are generally broad and encompass large soil physiographic regions." This knowledge made me very happy, for it meant that as long as my soil organic content was high enough his sprays would have no effect on my crops. I took it one step further realized that if I sprayed compost tea every time he sprayed his poisons my compost tea would eat anything he sprayed. I did a test on the edge of the field one day when he sprayed a chemical that killed his cover crop of winter rye. The grass I sprayed thrived, while the grass he sprayed died. So, every time he sprays, I spray. He fears my spray more than I fear his spray, now isnÂt that a twist? I suggest, if you donÂt already have one, make yourself a compost tea brewer to spray your garden and deal with your neighbor and their chemical tendencies. I use a modified version of the Bruce DeuleyÂs Own Little Texas Tea Maker found here. I also suggest you do not use the bubblerÂs; they make bubbles that are too small IMO. That should take care of your neighbor and your garden as well. I do hope this is of some help to you, for I have found great satisfaction in using compost tea as both a soil drench and foliar spray. Although there is little or no scientific data to support my finding, there are plenty of vegetables in my freezer that say it works Blutranes Here is a link that might be useful: Organic Matter in Georgia Soils

We ought to start a thread called 'The Border Wars'. I've heard some very funny stories. We have an absolutely, certifiably crazy dude behind us, alcohol plays a big role. He's territorial, got signs posted all around his property and various dorky markers showing where it starts along with a spray painted dotted line by his driveway on the 3ft of grass bordering the poor guy whose driveway is next to his. He throws all kinds of little items--- batteries, lids, plastic things and just weird things into all our yards at night. He is also an admitted window peeper, he told me this before we put up the TALL fence. The target for the bamboo was him over the issue of dogs barking. Trouble with bamboo is, it doesn't target just one person. My neighbor was relieved the bamboo expired so I admitted my crime. We all laughed. By the way, in his yard there are traps for any animal who dares to cross. Kids call him "mean man" because this guy really doesn't care if its a kid, the rules apply. After 20 years, there are many stories including an incident when he pointed a gun at a kid.

Ohhh, MamaGoose, I am dying laughing at the orange jumpsuit! And that alarmed me when I saw it too, especially when he ducked down out of signt immediately after I called the dog. I knew the fence guys had the option of working Saturday, and I checked the front drive again to see if I'd missed seeing their truck, but no they did not come to work. That meant someone else. I suspected who, but had to return to the back door and wait for about two minutes before he finally stood up. Yep, orange jumpsuit and a white head of hair, just visible from shoulders up above the shrubbery along that property line. And orange jumpsuits signify prison to me too, Mama. But the white hair meant the neighbor. And his presence there was not on his property, but on his back neighbor's property, which he is treating like his own. The owner is the niece of the lady we bought the back forty from. And she had to put up NO TRESPASSING signs facing HIS HOUSE in attempt to keep him out of there. The house is vacant. He does cut the back yard up a ways, but not all the way to the empty house. He is doing to HER property what he once did to OURS, expanding his space, even planting hydrangeas in places. Well, it is better than weeds I know. But also in the tall weeds up near that vacant house is where he was secreting his infamous burn barrel. On someone else's property, so he could deny it was his. But that was stopped too. I have no idea where he hid it this time. But now and then, I do smell burning stuff late at night on weekends. And Scott, we had a survey done and we paid to have both our lot and the neighbor's lot totally surveyed. Money well spent. The old survey markers next to this neighbor had been removed. Well, one of them had been cut off below the ground out by the street, and it was located in what I thought was HIS YARD by about 6 feet. After he backed his trailer up our driveway and across our lawn to haul away huge tree limbs and boles, I popped a line and built my rose bed to prevent any such future occurence. No fence on the front yard portion of this property line, but I did make the flower bed pretty on both sides as viewed from both our yards. I dare say it is the best flower bed in the neighborhood, and it is out in view of God and everybody. LOTS of compliments on it. I installed a line of brick flat to the ground on his side of the line (still on our property though), so he could put the wheel of his mower on it. As to plants growing in the Back Forty. No poison ivy, which really surprises me. But thank heaven it is not there. And no one has tossed any pot seeds there. I had not thought about that. A grandson lives with them, a college student, so I appreciate the heads up about that. It would definitely cause us some grief if such seeds thrown in our new space suddenly grew. The authorities would be notified and we would be turned in you betcha. And I'm not so attentive to WEEDS that I'd notice any strange things dropped into a basic overgrown place. We've cut back the major overgrown stuff, but not fine tuned it yet. That will come after the fence people quit stomping around back there. Even their presence for one afternoon has made a big difference in the open ground. But I am careful walking there until all the stobs of cut-off tree seedlings are removed. I cannot afford a foot injury with my diabetes. Oh yes. I revisited the spot where the neighbor was seen. He's pulled out some grass along the old chainlink fence, but not significantly so. I suppose he was doing his own survey of the post locations--for what other reason could he be so fascinated to go so far as to HIDE his presence, and not stand up until he expected me to be moved away from the door? But the new posts are inside our property markers. Good Sunday morning to you all. Lovely day.

Gaz....I can't message you. The "message" link isn't displayed. There was another time I wanted to "chat" with you...when you had so much yellow in your garden....or to ask about lady bugs. :0) Note: My Dh says he's going to let me buy one of these old homes and "show me" how much work they really are. Game on!!!!!! I'd love to get my hands on one! After a total face lift....and such....ha ha....that little farmhouse I posted, would sell for $350K easy! Just up the street, 3 blocks , the bigger ones are a million+......I'm just doing little projects now.....I need to buy something or die of boredom. lol