How to Prevent Theft from a Community Garden
Consider carefully what you'll grow., Use plants as cover., Use other forms of cover., Consider setting up lighting that triggers with movement., Harvest fast., Set clear boundaries with other gardeners using the community garden., Be philosophical.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Consider carefully what you'll grow.
Some vegetables and fruits prove more of a temptation that others.
Bigger items tend to be stolen, such as pumpkins and eggplants, while spinach and herbs are of less interest.
You might need to increase the amount of greens that look less like food to the uninitiated. -
Step 2: Use plants as cover.
Consider ways to hide more tempting plants behind less interesting plants.
Look for plants with a lot of green foliage that can serve as borders or hedges around vegetable plots. , Build small fences or other barriers around the plots that block direct sight.
If you have more funds, you might even need to consider fencing off and locking the entire garden. , This might help to deter thieves who rummage through the garden under the cover of darkness.
Solar lights may be a good choice., Once the vegetables and fruits are ripened, don't delay harvesting them.
The keen eye of a thief will notice them quickly once they're ready for picking and leaving it even a day later could mean its loss. , Make it clear when it's okay to take fruit and vegetables from dying plants and when it's not.
Don't allow any ambiguity to give fellow gardeners a sense that there are exceptions of their own making. , Expect some theft as part and parcel of what has probably been going on in community gardens for centuries.
If it feeds someone who really needs it now and then, then it's serving a purpose in a quirky way.
Of course, if it's open warfare on your garden, then be proactive about the steps above and perhaps even contact neighborhood watch or the local police.
Whatever your principles about sharing around the fruits of your labor, there is a point where enough is enough. -
Step 3: Use other forms of cover.
-
Step 4: Consider setting up lighting that triggers with movement.
-
Step 5: Harvest fast.
-
Step 6: Set clear boundaries with other gardeners using the community garden.
-
Step 7: Be philosophical.
Detailed Guide
Some vegetables and fruits prove more of a temptation that others.
Bigger items tend to be stolen, such as pumpkins and eggplants, while spinach and herbs are of less interest.
You might need to increase the amount of greens that look less like food to the uninitiated.
Consider ways to hide more tempting plants behind less interesting plants.
Look for plants with a lot of green foliage that can serve as borders or hedges around vegetable plots. , Build small fences or other barriers around the plots that block direct sight.
If you have more funds, you might even need to consider fencing off and locking the entire garden. , This might help to deter thieves who rummage through the garden under the cover of darkness.
Solar lights may be a good choice., Once the vegetables and fruits are ripened, don't delay harvesting them.
The keen eye of a thief will notice them quickly once they're ready for picking and leaving it even a day later could mean its loss. , Make it clear when it's okay to take fruit and vegetables from dying plants and when it's not.
Don't allow any ambiguity to give fellow gardeners a sense that there are exceptions of their own making. , Expect some theft as part and parcel of what has probably been going on in community gardens for centuries.
If it feeds someone who really needs it now and then, then it's serving a purpose in a quirky way.
Of course, if it's open warfare on your garden, then be proactive about the steps above and perhaps even contact neighborhood watch or the local police.
Whatever your principles about sharing around the fruits of your labor, there is a point where enough is enough.
About the Author
Adam Chapman
Creates helpful guides on crafts to inspire and educate readers.
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