Community Garden Security

We will likely never completely cure the theft and vandalism problem, but there are lots of things we can do to decrease the incidents and make our gardens feel more secure and safe.  There is a certain amount of letting go that must happen since some loss is inevitable.  But the key is to find ways that the very people that could do the vandalism and theft are involved and work more toward protecting your resource.  You want them to feel vested, not locked out.

Tips for every gardener:

-  Greet and meet all of your fellow gardeners that you can.

-  Harvest all your produce; leave nothing to temptation.  If you are busy or going out of town and need help, ask a fellow gardener to harvest your ripe produce for you.   A common excuse given by thieves is "there sure is a lot of food going to waste here".  If someone's plot looks like it has not been harvested in a while, a simple reminder call could be in order; if they can't, offer to glean and take the fruit to the nearest food pantry.

-  Consider not growing popular & tempting things like watermelon.

-  Attend garden events whenever possible.

-  Consider hiding vegetables by planting desirable plants in less visible location. 

-  Plant more vegetables than you need. 

-  If you observe theft or vandalism in the garden, call 911 right away.  Get a good description of person or vehicle if possible.  Get the incident report number and be sure to post information on the bulletin board for other gardeners to see. 

If you find vandalism and/or theft after the fact you can still report it to the police.  It is good to let the police know you're having problems so they can visit the site more often