Topic: Destroys your faith in human nature

[Kea]

ironically about two days after my husband suggested a bear pit (with sharp stakes in the bottom!) the town council had a deep hole dug right in front of my allotment gate for the end of the new water supply...a bit sooner and i could have borrowed it.

Yes like you Ceres i wonder why the strawberries and blackcurrants were ignored...both are easier to pick.
I think someone was picking my asparagus earlier in the season.

Wish they made a cheap battery operated cctv/video camera!

[Mr Smith]

Last week Radio Leicester did two whole days about allotment gardening  with one lady coming on and telling the whole of Leicestershire about how someone nicked her spuds, also last week I caught some youth on the allotments at 0950 thinking he was taking a short cut to school Bo--oc-s he was out to nick some strawberries which are in abundance on our allotments, I wish people would think twice about what they say before giving the rest of them food for thought or should I say 'Food to nick, ;)'

[1066]

How frustrating ceres, hope your sign has a positive effect!

1066

[Kea]

Next year I'm thinking of concocting some thing to spray onto my gooseberries so they don't look nice!

[thifasmom]

I'm always sorry to hear of all the thieving that goes on at allotments and thankfully I'm luck that's not a problem i face with my vege garden.

Next year I'm thinking of concocting some thing to spray onto my gooseberries so they don't look nice!

how about a really strong solution of red or blue or even purple food colouring sprayed on the fruit with an added sign warning the fruit has been sprayed with pesticides. you will know they are safe but anyone else will assume they are poisenos.

another deterrant if your fellow plot holders know you practice organic methods it might be necessary to debunk that by walking around frequently with a spray can spraying coloured water willie nillie to make potential thieves think twice about stealling our produce.

[taurus]

What a rotten thing to happen. I'd like to chop their hands off. I'm trying to get the council to let us put fences up to give us (hopefully) a bit more protection against this sort of thing.   Just hope who ever did this gets a bad case of the trots.

[BarriedaleNick]

People will nick the oddest stuff.

I had a really nice Clematis that went and a lovely lemon thyme that vanished.  
Recently on our site someone got in,  nicked a wheelbarrow and filled it up with squash and other more expensive veg and walked out with it all.  

What' worse is that there is nothing you can do except to keep an eye out.

[Kea]

I'm always sorry to hear of all the thieving that goes on at allotments and thankfully I'm luck that's not a problem i face with my vege garden.

Next year I'm thinking of concocting some thing to spray onto my gooseberries so they don't look nice!

how about a really strong solution of red or blue or even purple food colouring sprayed on the fruit with an added sign warning the fruit has been sprayed with pesticides. you will know they are safe but anyone else will assume they are poisenos.

another deterrant if your fellow plot holders know you practice organic methods it might be necessary to debunk that by walking around frequently with a spray can spraying coloured water willie nillie to make potential thieves think twice about stealling our produce.

Yes i had thought of food colouring just need to come up with something to make it stick...was going to do that this year but was too late. Food colouring in a weak mix of vege gel maybe I'll have to test it out ready for next year.

[landimad]

Hows about a big sign for em.

THIEVES WILL BE COMPOSTED

 ;D ;D ;D

[lewic]

I wouldnt begrudge (or even notice) the odd thing if it was obvious I had a glut, but slashing a net to get some fruit, especially if its an inside job, is taking the p***.

If there are fat strawbs or courgettes in full view of the public, I think its human nature to want to eat them.. especially if its on a route back from the pub and its dark! I'm amazed that there are still allotments with no fences, I would rather pay a bit more to get some decent security.

On our site I havent heard of any veg thefts but there is a large spiky fence and occasionally kids climb it for a dare, and set fire to sheds  :(

[Mr Smith]

When I'm down the lotty I like to have my mobile with me just in case I do need to ring plod if I'm ever lucky enough to catch the thieving scum in the act, ;)

[Jeanbean]

Sorry to hear that someone has taken your gooseberries, it is very upsetting  :(. We had our strawberries taken a couple of weeks ago. Whoever it was, took off the net, removed the strawberries throwing the unripe ones down , and the replaced and repegged the net in some places. Now we tend to try and harvest regularly so we get the enjoyment of our peas and potatoes etc. As already has been said, why can't people leave others produce alone? Hope the rest of the season is kind to you :)

[amphibian]

A few years ago I had nearly my entire squash/pumpkin crop nicked, it was just before Halloween.

It was a huge haul and some of the pumpkins would have needed two to lift.

I was so gutted.

[mpdjulie]

I know its not quite the same but just before we had about 2 weeks very hot weather end of May beginning of June an older gentleman on our site used up his, his neighbours, his son in laws and the communal water butts.  It was 8 full butts in total.  All to make sure that when he went on holiday for 2 weeks his potatoes and onions didn't die.  What ticks me off is that everyone knew it was him because his plot neighbour saw him doing it (his house backs onto the site, more importantly his plot because he has chickens on it as well) and nobody challenged him and also the fact that we rely on our water butts 100% because we have no stand pipes.  Thank god for him that he didn't take any of my water from my 3 butts or there would have been serious repercussions. 

[shirlton]

Whoever it was  and if it was another plot holder probably already had strawbs and currants but no goosegogs. My rhubarb was pilfered and yet the whole site has great big areas of the stuff.Thank goodness with this rain I now have some more to pull(thats if its still there when I get there)

[Suzanne]

I think I would be devastated if someone nicked my stuff - especially as I am always happy to give away surplus fruit, veg and seedlings the same as most plotholders I know.

Must be awful if you believe its a fellow plot holder as well. Again like most if someone is short of something on our site, they generally ask and offer a trade of something else for it.

[banshee]

I have read this topic with interest and it saddens me to think that other allotment holders will take the fruits and veggies that they have watched someone else toil over. I would have thought that everyone would look out for each other on an allotment, I have come to realise that that is not so.  :(    As it is, my 'plot' is my front garden (to which another 2 beds and a herbaceous flower border are being added today), so I am lucky in the sense that I sleep, eat and live on my plot. I am also lucky that the house is never left unattended and with 2 german shepherds/rottweilers roaming the garden (which is completely fenced in from the front path) I hope this is enough to prevent any would be thief from venturing too close to my fruit and veg.
I feel for each and every one of you that have lost your harvests to theft, sometimes it is easier to accept that the birds, mice, whatever other animal has taken them for food than it is your allotment neighbours - in fact I would rather the birds, mice take them than have another human pinch them - I often can't believe the nature of people sometimes, it's a disgrace!

[cleo]

Just hope that what goes around comes around.

Many years ago I was a humble civil servant who had some plots-next door was a YTS scheme, they were in my patch so I was the yes or no over their funding(but I declared a vested interest and that`s not the point)

One night their huge polytunnel was slashed to ribbons,I went over to chat to the supervisor and a few of the lads there

The upshot was one young lad said

"we know who it was and he won`t  **********************ing be doing it again"

Not that I could condone such behaviour you understand ;)