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Green Gardening Cleanup
by JANE BOGNER
SUNDAY, March 06, 2005

Vallejo is so beautiful in the Spring. Everything turns green after the rains. The downside is that every time you turn around another weed has popped up. Before you grab that spray bottle of herbicide, listen to this story. I was chatting with a friend who was draining excess rain water from his well (yes, there are backyard wells hidden around Vallejo). He really enjoys his free water in the summer but it comes with a price. When he first moved in thirty years ago, he would water his yard and also fill his dog’s water bowl. The water made the dog sick and he surmised that since he lives in a lower area of Vallejo, the water was contaminated with pesticides and herbicides that had filtered in from overuse in nearby homes and freeway landscaping.

The majority of herbicides and pesticides are made from ... ok, you know the answer to this one: petroleum-based products. Because this is big business, these companies get the best shelf space and outlandish advertising budgets. The Pesticide Action Network analyzed data collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control on the levels of 23 different pesticides in 2,600 people. They found that the average person in the study carried 13 of the 23 chemicals. The pesticides in this study have been shown to cause health problems such as infertility, birth defects, and cancer. Most discount yard and garden centers are self service or staffed with overworked employees with little knowledge of the effects of the products on their shelves.

So what are we to do? I’m glad that you asked. Several garden centers in Solano County have made the connection to the Our Water - Our World (OWOW) program including Vallejo’s Yardbirds. OWOW was started in 1997 by Central Contra Costa Sanitary District in cooperation with the Regional Water Quality Control Plant in Palo Alto and grant support from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation and the National Foundation for Integrated Pest Management Education. A pilot project was implemented in nurseries and retail outlets in Contra Costa County and has now expanded to counties surrounding the San Francisco Bay.

Garden centers that participate display free fact sheets on less-toxic controls for common garden pests, weeds, lawn care, and roses. You can find these flyers on the pesticide aisle. In addition, community outreach/educational events are held in the stores to promote less-toxic methods and products. Some stores train their garden personnel on the principles of integrated pest management (IPM) and techniques for using less-toxic products.

OWOW has a great web site: www.ourwaterourworld.org. It contains their fact sheets (some in Spanish), a list of local participating garden centers, a list of alternative less-toxic products plus an Ask A Expert feature for your garden problems. In the mean time, get out your favorite weeding tool (mine is a steak knife) and get started. One of my most annoying weeds is Oxalis. You know, the clover-like plant with the yellow flower. My advice is to put it in your yard waste barrel because backyard composting doesn’t get hot enough to kill this one.

After you have cleaned out the weeds, put on a non-toxic pre-emergent such as Weed Prevention Plus by Concern (available at Mid City Nursery). This product is made from corn gluten, a by-product of making animal feed. I can attest to its safety as my ancient basset is still alive after munching on the bag one afternoon while I was pulling weeds. Another interesting product is Rodetrol Rat and Mouse Bait that is made from corn oil and molasses. The good thing about Rodetrol is that it kills the rodents but not the birds that eat the dead or dying animals. My favorite snail bait is Sluggo made from iron phosphate and spaghetti flour.

For those of you living at the edges of our open spaces, you may want to try a deer repellent called "Not Tonight Deer" that is made from egg white solids by a company in Mendocino. If you have toxic garden chemicals to get rid of, take them to our Household Hazardous Waste facility located next to transfer station at 889A Devlin Road just north of American Canyon. They are open every Friday and Saturday from 9am to 4pm. For more information call 800 984-9661or surf www.recycle-guide.com.

VALCORE Recycling, in partnership with the City of Vallejo and Vallejo Sanitation and Flood Control District, will be conducting backyard composting classes in the Spring, Summer and Fall. Some classes will be combined with a less-toxic gardening class. Stay tuned for details. 

VALCORE Recycling Vice President Jane Bogner's "A Sorted Affair" is published every other week in the Times-Herald, Community Outlook Section. For recycling information call Genie Kaggerud, VALCORE Recycling manager at 645-8258 or visit www.VALCORErecycling.org.

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