How Soon Can You Eat Veggies After Using Sevin?

The main ingredient in Sevin insecticide is carbaryl. This product is a broad-spectrum chemical that controls more than 100 species of insects in your vegetable garden. Pests die from both ingestion and absorption of Sevin when encountering it. Ingestion of treated vegetables before the waiting period for the specific type of vegetable can lead to stomach cramps and irritation.

You can harvest and eat broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and kohlrabi three days after treating them with Sevin. Other brassica leafy vegetables including collard, Chinese cabbage, kale and mustard greens are safe to eat 14 days after treatment. Brassica leafy vegetables tolerate Sevin treatment up to a total of four times, one week apart, while the crop is growing.

Fruiting vegetables include all varieties of eggplant, peppers and tomatoes. This group of vegetables is safe to eat three days after application of Sevin. You can treat fruiting vegetables every week to a total of seven times while this crop is growing.

The leafy vegetable category includes celery, endive, head lettuce and leaf lettuce, parsley, spinach and Swiss chard. This garden variety is safe to harvest and eat 14 days after insect treatment with Sevin. Applications can be repeated once a week up to a total of five times during the growing season.

Wear personal protective gear when using Sevin, including safety glasses, a dust mask, long sleeves, long pants and gloves to protect your skin from the chemical, which can be absorbed through the skin and inhaled. Carbaryl products are toxic to fish. Do not use it in windy conditions where it can drift to aquatic lawn features. Do not use Sevin when vegetables are in bloom because it will kill honeybees that are needed for pollination.