Amdro in my veggie containers

14 years ago

I'm a very newbie gardener and am usually pretty good about lurking before asking stupid questions in a forum, but I think I've made a huge mistake and I want to know if it can be fixed.

I went out today to check on my veggie containers (carrots, lettuce, beans, tomatoes) and found 2 fire ant mounds IN the window box that my carrots are in. i did what i would normally do when i find fire ants in my space and i grabbed the bottle of Amdro and went to town. I put it around the mounds in the carrot container and i spread it all around the outsides of the rest of the containers. I know a few grains got into each other containers because i was basically flinging it everywhere. I have small children and keeping the fire ants out of the yard is a constant battle.

Of course after I was done circling the house and treating all of the mounds that have popped up, I looked at the label and it says not to use it where it can come in contact with people or on livestock feed. I came inside and googled and everything says not to use it on your vegetables. i've learned some safer techniques to try next time, but is it too late for my veggies now? Are they garbage? Can I just water the heck out of them and they will be safe in a few weeks? Should I drop gardening and learn to knit instead?

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Comments (2)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
14 years ago
You cannot harvest the veggies from where you've used the Amdro. When a pesticide label warns you against using their product around edible plants, it means it. It cannot be 'fixed', but it sure isn't a stupid question.

Don't give up on your gardening, though! I think that I would dump the soil, toss the veggies, and replant with some store bought veggies from the store. You might even have plenty of time to plant some things from seed.

Now, in the future...be sure to read the labels carefully! I have always told people to read the label before they even buy a product, again before they mix it and use it, and again before they store it or dispose of it.
User
14 years ago
Part of your problem with the "constant battle" is that you haven't got a plan to follow and you are "basically flinging it everywhere". Sit down now and rehearse in your mind what you will do for any garden pest that is worth the hassle and expense of killing. How will you handle it?

Your lesson from all this is READ THE LABEL FIRST ... and FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS on the label, completely and accurately.

You just contaminated the heck out of your garden, and all those granules you spread around the outsides of the other containers were wasted as well as contaminating the garden.

See the link below for control methods for gardens. Most of the tips on the internet are useless, and some are harmful.

Here is a link that might be useful: TAMU: Managing //fire Ants in Vegetable Gardens
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