Hide the cucumber

[eeksypeeksy]

And the pumpkin.

What can I do to help keep local scavengers (the human variety) from seeing and taking things growing in my garden? I'm right in the middle of apartment buildings on a fairly busy pedestrian way, and the fence isn't very high or scary, so there's nothing stopping bored kids from seeing and grabbing.

So I was wondering whether you have any tips for a new gardener on camouflaging or otherwise hiding what you grow. For instance, can you grow a pumpkin in a plastic bag? Or would it just rot under there?

[Boots]

I doubt it, though you can cover melons with hay to shelter them from the sun...

Have you thought about trip wires and a shangai?

[Stonehead]

We've had vegetables and eggs stolen several times over the past year, and definitely by human predators going by the trainer tracks left in the mud.

We've also caught people clearly casing the place on two occasions.

And where are we? In rural Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

I'm afraid you're always going to get the light-fingered brigade prowling around.

Mind you, I did find one approach that worked...

Me, glaring: "Did anyone see you arrive?"
Ginger nut: "Huh?"
Me, emphatic: "Did anyone see you arrive?"
Ginger nut: "No..."
Me, doing my best crazed farmer look: "Good, my pigs are hungry and I'm getting my pitchfork."
Ginger nut, looking incredulous: "Huh? What..."
I started walking over to the fork leaning against the wall and Ginger Nut suddenly decided it was time to run to his white van, jump in and leave.
Neither he nor his mate have been back!

Stonehead

[albert onglebod]

We had kids traipsing over our back garden and a whole row of others along our road. Police were not (interested)bothered.
OH put up some 3 foot high chestnut pailing that the neighbours gave us as they had just had a new fence.They just climbed over,so he bought chicken wire and wired it to poles to make the fence 6 feet high.The kids had wire cutters.OH told police they were now going equipped(tools to commit criminal damage), police showed very vague interest over the phone.We threaded hawthorn branches through the fence wire in the places where they had been getting in and they stopped.
This year Im going to train the blackberry brambles which shoot up along it,up the fence and along it for a more permanent deterrent.

[ina]

Can't think of any way to disguise veg, either. The most effective way to protect them would be increase the height of the fence to something above 2m, and top it with barbed wire and broken bottles!

I worked for a farmer in Germany for several years, picking strawberries and cherries. They got stolen, too. Not only that, he actually saw a great big Mercedes zooming off when he arrived one morning, turning round on the field and destroying more than the guy picked! You'd think t hat somebody who can afford to drive a Mercedes can afford to pay for a few strawberries, too.
One thief even got quite pally with the farmer and asked him if he'd come early to pinch some, too! If you know how small the margin is on fruit, you understand how little any of the smaller growers can afford to lose...

[eeksypeeksy]

You'd think that somebody who can afford to drive a Mercedes can afford to pay for a few strawberries, too.

I'm never surprised to see rich folk being petty and selfish about even small bits of money. That's how a lot of people get ahead, by always grabbing at the best deal (stealing or cheating, if they can get away with it, is a great deal) and not worrying about the consequences to anyone or anything but themselves.

I do hope the strawberry thief's Mercedes burst into flames down the road.

[ina]

I do hope the strawberry thief's Mercedes burst into flames down the road.

Thanks for your good wishes - but I don't think it did!
The thing is, farmers just don't have time to follow up these thieves, especially not during harvest... So even if he did get the licence number, he didn't usually take it to the police. You just can't lose a few hours at the police station, describing possible offenders, knowing that the worst they'd get out of it is a fine.

[Wombat]

What can I do to help keep local scavengers (the human variety) from seeing and taking things growing in my garden?

You mean apart from claymore mines?

Nev

[eeksypeeksy]

Well, I have planted a few lovely thorn bushes (which should be nice for the birds eventually), but they'll take some time to grow and they won't surround the place. But maybe I will try disguising things just to see what happens. I'm thinking about a plastic bag acting like a mini-greenhouse over each veg, something that looks random and ugly enough to be trash blowing about.

[Camile]

Hello ..

Install a nice strong electric fence in the spot where they come in ..

I believe they would steal for long ..

Camile

[Stonehead]

Hello ..

Install a nice strong electric fence in the spot where they come in ..

I believe they would steal for long ..

Camile

We have nice strong electric fences (mains energiser, 9.6kv, enough to rattle your teeth when the ground is damp) - it doesn't stop the two-legged predators.

For the long-term, we're gradually planting hedges made up of hawthorn, blackthorn, dog rose etc. As well as providing valuable windbreaks, animal habitats, wood and food, they should help keep the light-fingered brigade out.

Stonehead

PS I should be buying more electric fencing material online now, but I was waylaid and found myself here!

[alcina]

I find Berberis rather good at deterring two-legged thieves. But it's a bugger to prune! I'm out there with the thickest leather motorbike jacket, motorbike leather trousers, thick leather gloves...I haven't actually got as far as putting the motorbike helmet on too, but I've been close! Despite all these precautions I still get stabbed. And the more you prune it, the faster it grows!

I defy all the most determined thief to try to push their way through a Berberis more than once!

Alcina

[The Chili Monster]

Triffids

[elfcurry]

I defy all the most determined thief to try to push their way through a Berberis more than once!

So they're trapped then!

[diver]

you will always get theives where there are people I'm afraid. On our allotments ever the plot holders themselves pinch from each other...vegetables are often going missing...I .lost a lot of onions last year