"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message
...
"I Love Lucy" wrote in message
nk.net...

Their husbands take care of it (usually by spraying or hiring places
like chemlawn to do it),

A ChemLawn employee (maybe 16 years old) once told my wife that the
stuff he was about to spray on the neighbor's lawn, a liquid which the
wind would've blown onto our veg garden, was entirely safe and
approved for use around food crops. A call to his office revealed
otherwise. He was about to apply some weed stuff that was NO WAY
supposed to be anywhere near vegetables. Unfortunately, the office
people told me the stuff was safe. The young employee was stupid. The
office staff was crooked & deceptive.

Interesting. As I came out from voting, I scoped out the lawn at one of
the newer and probably one of the highest achievment academically
elementary schools in the area. There were a large dandelion, some
oxalis and other weeds by the front door. In the grass, which was
neatly mowed, there was what appeared to be juvenile plaintain, stunted
clover, much of it shaded, can't remember what else, didn't notice any
dandelions. Plantain spreads out in large pancakes if allowed to grow
for a lengthy period, so I'm assuming maybe this hasn't been there so
long, or they were smart enough to import a variety with a more compact
growth habit than mine.

So I called chemlawn and asked them if they had any contracts with the
public schools. After being put on hold, I was told that the only
contract they had was for the grass on the public fields and stadium.
Leaves some questions unanswered.

No, I wouldn't want any drifting spray on my vegetables either. I don't
grow any, too much shade and what's isn't as shaded I want for flowers.
But I'm reasonably certain all the produce I buy at the supermarkets,
hit several for this and that, has been treated in one form or another.
I eat the stuff anyway except I don't like store tomatoes and sweet
corn, but occasionally buy the Roma ones. I don't like the waxy
coating. It's more expensive at the health food store and doesn't look
as nice. We have a farmer's market where you can get wonderful produce
in the summer. It's probably a mixed bag whether any of it has been
sprayed or not. The way my son's sprayer was rigged, it created a more
like a hefty squirt, I was standing near him part of the time and
didn't want any on my skin, and I was worried about my new flowers in
the back which I covered in double bags and left until the next morning,
but then it was not breezy that evening. He used to work for chemlawn,
still sprays, but is leery about possible toxic effects from it. I know
he didn't use Roundup but can't remember what it was.

To spray or not to spray, that is the question. I'll spray once or
twice a year except for the violets on the west side of the house.
Looks like violet alley.