Gardener outraged by landlord's reckless actions outside of their building: 'Beyond frustrated'

After taking the time to grow your own food and plants, the last thing you want is for them to be destroyed. One Redditor experienced a close call, telling the r/containergardening subreddit the story of how their landlord nearly ruined their plants. 

"My stupid landlord had a guy come clean the outside of the building without warning and I'm pretty sure he sprayed my tomatoes and melons with the bleach he was using to clean the building," the original poster said. "They look terrible now but I think they'll survive."

The OP asked the community whether the nearly fruiting tomatoes would be safe to eat despite being sprayed with bleach.

"Beyond frustrated but hoping I'll still be able to eat what I grew this year," they said.

Stories about how landlords get in the way of renters' environmental goals have been circulating for years. Whether through homeowners associations, neighbors, or landlords, many factors can hold environmentalism back. 

Despite the popularity of these disagreements, methods that have worked for some tenants prove that it is possible to work together with those who oversee your property.

Reach out to your landlord or HOA if you're in disagreement. Be calm, as losing your temper can make people less likely to help.

In the OP's case, they asked the landlord to warn them the next time the area was going to be sprayed so they could relocate the potted plants beforehand. Open communication is critical and makes all the difference. In the future, the Redditor could also communicate with the landlord about how harmful bleach is to the garden, sparking them to reconsider the cleaning supplies they use.

As for the plants, Redditors believe they will be OK. 

What's the hardest thing about taking care of your yard? Mowing the lawn 🏡 Controlling weeds 🌿 Keeping pests at bay 🐿️ I don't have a yard 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"Bleach is safe enough to sanitize unpotable water in low concentrations and make it drinkable. If your plants survived, you can eat from them," one commenter wrote. 

Bleach is notoriously bad for plants and the ecosystem; however, Redditors assured the OP that since the plants survived, the fruit would be safe.

"If the plants survived the initial contact they will be safe," wrote another helpful Redditor. "Try to flush away any salt."

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