I was hoping to go organic next year, but I've discovered the guy on the adjacent (and slightly higher) plot loves fertilizer and chemical warfare as he's a semi-professional grower. Do I really stand a chance? :(
You are what you are and he is what he is.
I am what I am, but what he is ends up over on me as well, is you see what I mean.
It's a toxic world unfortunately. Mainstream organic methods often involve the effluvia of unnatural factory farming. You can only do what you can do. But you should do it anyway. If you know what I mean.
That's what I meant Max ;D Sorry if I wasn't clear enough Badger1. Hello by the way.
It was totally clear Ady. I thought I'd say the same thing using slightly different words and then try and get the credit :)
Hi redclanger, looks like i'll just have to grin and bear it. ::)
Once you get into the technicalities of organic, then it suddenly starts to get hard work. It is a lot easier to think natural which means you practice organic as far as reasonably practical ...
Hope this helps ...
yep, that's what we are doing.
in any case, apart from run-off rain water, your neighbour should never spray when there is wind, to reduce the amount/ risk of drift.
try and get on good terms with him, get to know him, so maybe he will be a nice neighbour also.
Hi Badger 1, We have had our plot for three years now and we are as organic as we can be, being surrounded by other plots, but as TM and Svea say, you cannot completely isolate yourself from everyone else, and you have to live and let live. It would be helpful to speak to your neighbour in a very friendly way and let him know that you hope to grow organically and hopefully he will co-operate as much as he can by limiting his spraying etc. near your plot. I think it can only be done with a friendly manner. I am sure that despite outside influences your soil and produce will benefit from being managed naturally and you will be doing your bit for the ecology of your land. Good luck and keep at it. :) busy_lizzie Â
I wouldn't worry too much badger. It's not as if your lotty neighbour is going to be using an aeroplane for crop spraying is it. The worst case scenario is that he's got a hand held sprayer for Glyphos which won't bother your plot too much unless he does it in a howling gale which is unlikely. Even the cheapo sprayers are quite directional and most lotty folks are too mean to allow their pesticides to drift ;D
If you don't use chemicals on your produce then you should be quite satisfied that you're eating good quality, unadulterated food :)
Yes I think it is possibly more a case that we can smell the chemicals, and so consider our ground is being polluted. But as already said, the amount of cross contamination is probably less that falls from the sky ...
I too am trying to be as organic as I can be. I garden next door to some very neat/pest free people who use perticides...but I know that my garden is the one with the birds and the yummy food! They only get the excess wildlife from me!
So smile at your neighbour and feel very smug inside that you are doing the right thing!
:)
there's nowt so queer as folk! I had a delegation of two of my lotty neighbours (who profess to be organic) complaining that I'd set up a bird table and that my encouraging birds would result in decimation of their plots!
I kept stum!
I can be very stoic ;D