Topic: Someone is pinching my carrots

[Digeroo]

My carrots are disappearing.  I was not sure but there were holes where I did not expect to see them.  I planted beans down beside the carrots so have been cropping them from next to the beans to give them a bit more room but the holes were the other side of the bed.  Then this morning I pulled up some carrots myself and as usual filled up all the holes to prevent carrot root fly.  So I know someone has taken the carrots becuase they did not fill in the holes.

Last year it was leeks.

[1066]

I just think this type of theft (lets call it what it actually is!) is the worst kind. We try our utmost, put loads of effort in, select varieties, nurture them etc; and then some lazy **** comes along and helps themselves. Truly selfish!!

1066  :)

[Borlotti]

Might it be rabbits or some other animal that is fond of carrots.  My new pepper plants were dug up and disappeared and was just left with two holes, but as they were not too healthy looking plants sure it was an animal and not people, we have very good people on our allotments/so far. 

[gypsy]

Some of my sweetcorn has been taken. There have been footprints several times lately, I wondered what they were after... I rake the paths so I can tell when someone has been prowling. Last night they wore different shoes. I get obsessed with details, like the fact that they don't stand on the plants, they walk between the rows. Coming back for more, I think. :(

[1066]

Sorry to hear about your losses Gypsy. It's tough to know what to do. I know there have been posts on here about this and people have placed obstacles, notices etc. Not sure really how they worked out though. But I hope you manage to get to eat some of your own sweetcorn  :)

[Trevor_D]

I think it's a problem on most sites, even those with good fences and secure gates. We've had several incidents recently. Our site manager suggested putting up a notice along the lines of: "Well done, thief. So far you've stolen crops from 3 pensioners, 2 disabled and a single mum. Keep up the good work."

Seriously, when one couple had fruit stolen last year, they pinned a notice to their tree asking people not to steal and it didn't happen again. Perhaps the thief thought no-one had noticed?

[Digeroo]

We have rabbits, deer, mice and rats, but they knaw the leaves and roots and are one of the reasons I always earth up the exposed roots.   The deer are very destructive and particuarly like strawberry leaves but do not seem to like carrots luckily.  But we are beginning to have to net climbing french beans.  No! these were pulled up leaving the holes behind.

'I put a notice by my leeks last year which said 'I can count'.   I have to admit that did the trick and they stopped disappearing. 

I saw a woman I have never seen on the site before leaving the site with two large bags of stuff.   We do not have a locked gate so it is difficult to know if people are relatives or friends.  It is only when they garther crops from more than one allotment you you know they are not bono fide.   

I also get foot prints - someone trod on a row of beetroot.  Very annoying.  I am having to net seed beds against dogs, deer and humans.  I planted out some caulis and covered them in black fleece to keep them cool and someone walked right along it. 

I had the only apple stolen from an apple tree in the front garden it was the first in two years.  very pleased that this year it has quite a few apples so I might not notice if one goes, so I might count them and pin up a notice there as well.

[luckycharlie]

 


     I can't believe people  would steal from a lottie!! See not only am I new but naive as well!!

    My lottie neighbour has some squashes that are overflowing on to mine, but I wouldn't dream of taking them as far as I am concerned they are his. 

   I hope whoever is stealing from you realises how unkind they are but I don't suppose they care.

   Anyway I hope you catch them.

  x Chas

[calendula]

the only thing I have ever had stolen was a dolly (if you know what they are) would probably fetch a good price and the only consolation I had was that it was full of stinking comfrey feed which was tipped out and I really hope they got soaked with it  :o

[grannyjanny]

As in tub Calendula?

[calendula]

yes  :) a really attractive one and old that belonged to gg parents - like any theft I think the knowledge of the deed being done is almost worse than the actual loss

[grannyjanny]

How sad to have that stolen. We had one on our plot. OH wanted to take it to the tip until I found one on line at £60ish.

[saddad]

Mine has the tree echium in it... so I can bring it in over Winter...  :-X

[Ellen K]

On our site we have some problems with our wire boundary fence being cut and things going missing but it has become clear that most of the problem is "internal" - a few plot holders are compulsive tea leaves.

And my neighbours built an impressive 8m x 8m cage which they are now keen to see reach its full potential.  So they waited until I spread out compost and manure over the area I intended for beans and sweetcorn they came in early and scraped it all off.  After all, their cage is very important.  And I "never told them they couldn't".  And when they built their cage, they chucked a lot of stuff on to my plot so they were just retrieving it, apparently.

Just don't blame it all on people from outside is all.

[Trevor_D]

Don't you have anyone in charge, Denby? Like a Committee, or something? Sounds a bit like the wild west....

[Ellen K]

Hi, we all just pay our rent to the Borough Council and that is it.  To be fair, the guy from the Council does what he can, in the case of the Cage Fighters *as I affectionately call my neighbours* eventually I filed a complaint for Trespass and I think they got a letter saying they were in violation of their Tenancy Agreement and they better stop or they could be issued with a notice to quit.

But yes, Wild West it dead right and it does get me down.  This is going to sound whiney but I think that some of my trouble comes from being a girl on my own doing the plot - so much for the 21st Century and women's lib !!.  If this had gone on between 2 men, they could have been a fight over it.   But I know that when others on the site have complained to the Council about theft and poor site security (the fence is easily cut) they have received a reply that most of the theft on site comes from other plot holders.  Well, they are probably right but that was not the Question was it?

Ah the joys of the allotment,  I still love my garden. 

[lewic]

Unless you catch them in the act there isnt much you can do, other than leave a notice to shame them.

I suppose they might be genuinely in need.. a giro hardly pays the bills let alone food, and have heard a few stories recently about asylum seekers forced to eat rats when they cant get benefits. I confess I and my unemployed teenage friends did occasionally pilfer from allotments back in the last recession. So if anything goes from my plot I will try to be philosophical about it, so long as they don't nick my tools or vandalise anything!

Edit..
If its another plotholder doing it then its another matter..I'd probably be staking out my shed with CCTV!

[grannyjanny]

Our site is surrounded by houses & someone was seen taking produce from several plots. One of the householders saw & reported it. They were thrown off site with no notice.

[flowerofshona2007]

Put a sign on your plot 'some of these crops have been sprayed, steal them at your risk ! '

[gp.girl]

Try growing deadly nightshade in the fruit cage....you know as a green manure....

Personally, strawberries and rhubarb, tools, two wheel barrows (I've given up having one) a few buckets and my pile of wood for the wildlife by the next door neighbour although he did apologise as soon he realised.

The stupid little buggers brought a knife to nick the rhubarb.....