[Community_garden] theft prevention

[Ian Kinross]

Thanks Dorene,

Here's a bit more detail:

We have 100 individual plots, maintained by individual residents to grow
food for themselves and their families.

We also have a community food donation program, whereby donated produce
is delivered regularly to a daily food program (Scott Mission) in
Toronto.

The gardens are in an open location on hydro land. No surrounding fence
is permitted as hydro needs occasional access to the towers. Many
gardeners put up their own temporary fences (5-feet; some of the locked)
during the growing season.

Thefts of vegetables seem to occur mostly at night, or perhaps early in
the morning. Typically, a gardener will be wiped out a a certain harvest
-- e.g. all peppers, all garlics, all leeks etc.
We occasionally have non-gardeners wandering about with plastic bags,
helping themselves to things, during the day, but this is generally
under control.
And yes, the melons/squash tend to "walk" if they are visible -- good
point.

IK

-----Original Message-----
From: community_garden-bounces at list.communitygarden.org
[mailto:community_garden-bounces at list.communitygarden.org] On Behalf Of
Alliums
Sent: Wednesday, July 23, 2008 9:33 AM
To: community_garden at list.communitygarden.org
Subject: Re: [Community_garden] theft prevention


Ian -- 

You have to break it down better than that if we are going to help you.
What kind of thefts, when and how?

If folks aren't harvesting, then other folks worry that things are going
to waste and "help themselves."  We have a rule in our garden that if
you don't harvest and it's ripe, we pick it and give it to the food
bank.  Folks may grumble, but they learn to communicate and/or harvest
at the right time (you'd be surprised how some folks don't realize what
"ripe" is), but with the harvest going to the food bank, they don't mind
so much.

Garden design does a lot to discourage theft.  What are your perimeters
like?  What is being stolen?  If you put melons in the front where
everyone can see them, they will walk.

Tell us more and we can give you better advice.
Dorene Pasekoff, Coordinator
St. John's United Church of Christ Organic Community Garden and
Labyrinth

A mission of
St. John's United Church of Christ, 315 Gay Street, Phoenixville, PA
19460




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