I'm so sorry that happened. It sounds like he was trying to do something a little extra to help the garden look good, I'm sure he feels bad about the accident..

No, he's lazy and careless. 3weeks ago he cut down some branches from an oak and left them where they landed. On top of patio furniture, over the chain link fence, against the trailer we moved because the tree was scratching the roof. Which is why we asked him to cut them in the first place. I can understand mistakes, but there's a pattern developing. I appreciate you trying to get me to see the other side, but if this was the first issue I've had I wouldn't worry about it.

And fire that yard care guy! "he's lazy and careless" You don't need or want that.

A landscaper who thinks that part of his/her responsibility is making a vegetable garden look good needs to be shown the door. I assume that wasn't a task he/she was charged with. If you're being paid by the hour, making up work is a common strategy. String trimmers and active vegetable gardens don't mix.

Hes paid by the week, so this wasnt an attempt to stretch his time. More like, let me hurry up and get out of here. Everyday I'm reminded of the old saying, "if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself."

There are 'yard guys' and then there are yard guys :-) Skill level and experience and professionalism will vary widely, as these are by and large unskilled positions and only require a pick up truck and a few power tools. What is commonly referred to in the trade as 'mow, blow and go' :-))

A 'landscaper' should be much better qualified and with a much more professional approach to conducting his (or her) business. But this too can vary widely as there are few, if any, professional credentials required to assume the title of "landscaper".

At the very least, I would want to make sure they are properly licensed and have liability insurance - a requirement for landscapers in my state.

We have a house being restored/rebuilt next to ours. At the conclusion of the work, the contractor hired a "landscaper" to come in and pretty things up. The first thing his team did was to attack 100-year old red oaks with saws, to "clean them up". This is prime oak wilt season, and you DO NOT trim oaks now. If you have to, you sterilize your tools on site, and paint the wounds. They did neither. I ran in there a few hours later and painted the cuts with water-seal, which is all I had handy. Kind of nifty treatment, because it is invisible, the solvent kills recently deposited bacteria, and what's left behind is basically an impermeable coating of paraffin that wears away in a year or two. So much for "landscapers". Maybe more a landscalper.

So i yanked the melon from the vine. Are any of these seeds viable?

If the melon wasn't ripe, the seeds won't germinate. But wouldn't hurt to try.