Question
I hope you can help with this before I wring my husbands neck..lol we made a trellis for the 2 grape vine I put in my garden this year it was plain wood un treated so my husband decided to put wood sealant on it that we used for our new wood fence I saw him doing that when it was almost done and just about lost my mind .Its my thought and this is my question will the water base sealant hurt my grape vines next year or will the grapes be no good due to it absorbing the chemicals on the wood?also this is a new garden this was our first year and it turned out pretty good considering im a beginner we hAD STINK BUGS AND BLISTER BETTLES HOW CAN WE NATURALY AVOID THEM NEXT YEAR THERE ARE SOME DEAD ONE ONE THE GARDEN FLOOR that soapy water killed will their eggs breed again.and can i use weed killer or something to kill the roots of this vinning grass that grew all over even after i took all the top grass off and added topsoil.my garden was full of grass this year how any thing grew I dont know.sorry for all the questions but I need help.thanks in advance.  LINDA

Answer
Weed killer would definitely be your best option for the unwanted weeds and grass in the garden. I would do it now rather than in spring. This will give it time to dissipate before you plant next spring.

In regard to stink bugs, I always recommend two organic pesticides called pyrethrum and rotenone. They can be purchased separately or in combination. You can normally find these at your local nursery or on-line through companies such as Planet Natural or Gardens Alive.

As far as the grapes, it depends how careful he was. Don't get me wrong, I never recommend using chemical treatments in the garden, but most water-based stains are fairly harmless. Plus, any leeching that may occur into the soil usually takes place in the first few weeks. After this, the stain is fully absorbed into the wood. If no damage occurred to this point, you should be alright. I would be more concerned if he did this in spring. At this point, the winter should alleviate any problems.

Good luck, and please write again if I can ever provide assistance.

Regards,

Mike