Help! - Safe to veg. grdn in soil treated w/ insecticide?

[julieo3]

Hi!

Just tilled a beautiful 30x12 foot plot for family vegetable garden (including 18 mo. old son) and ammended with good compost only to find out father-in-law had treated whole lawn area 4 wks prior with Spectracide's Triazicide granules to control the grub problem out there.... Ack! We have had a ton of rain since he applied, but I am very nervous about growing food for our baby from the recently treated area. Most garden folks I have asked around here say it is probably ok, but I thought I had better look further.

Any help or advise greatly appreciated!

[vintagejuls]

Wow, this is a good question.

Did you remove the lawn or just rototil it in with the compost? I think I would wait a season but I'm no expert. I'll be looking forward to see what the other seasoned members will have to say to your dilema.

[julieo3]

Good question. We just tilled the sod under... I probably would have removed it if I had known about the treatment... Thanks for your help. hate to give up the graden for the year, but I am leaning that way.

[Faythe]

Hi, Julie,

I just googled Triazicide and read a quick overview of it. Based on that, it sounds like it would be "safe" to go ahead with your vegetable garden. Triazicide is described for use on lawns, outside of homes, and on vegetables, so the manufacturers must be assuming some quantities of it will be ingested by humans and have tested its toxicity.

Now, if you are asking me if I would go ahead with the garden...no. I would rather be safe than sorry. I have three children and wouldn't want to unnecessarily expose them to any levels of insecticides/herbicides if I could help it. I would grow things in containers this year, or start a raised bed. But that's just me.

Good luck!

[julieo3]

You know that is a good idea about the raised bed... I might go for that. Maybe I will just do flowers on the treated site and do a raised bed for veggies here at our house where the soil hasn't been treated with chemicals for several years. Thanks!