I don't really know how it happened, but since moving to the Lowcountry, I can say it's happened every year. Some kid or homeless person or immigrant worker or god forbid neighbor has stolen my tomatoes. I don't understand this. Honestly if you were to ask, I'd probably give them to you. And I know, we're in a recession, I'd still give them to you.
Instead we have a thief in the night, taking my vegetables, what do I do now? Call a town meeting? Have a letter sent to everybody through the POA? This is stupid. But like I said, it's happened every year I've been here. It makes you wonder, who, these people are, why are there people going through your yard, what if they aren't just going through your yard. Where did they come from? What time are they doing this? Why is their yard not good enough?
Do I need this paranoia? Nope, in fact I might just put in a flower bed, or plant a tree instead. It's a sad day when I have to say that, but god dammit what else are you going to do? Sit out all night, waiting to see if you can catch the culprit? Not likely. Just shut it all down, or continue to be stolen from are the only answers I see. So which is it? I'm not hurting my back again just so someone else can take away my tomatoes. Besides that, do you realize how stupid that last sentence sounds?
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Vegetable Thief
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5 comments:
They don't WANT you to give them to them; they are stealing them as an insult, a power rush, like a sugar high. It is probably kids. The next step - as they grow older - is to break into your car/shed/garage, maybe even your home, and to trash whatever they don't steal. Good thing you don't let your cat out...
I've been thru this before. No point in reporting it to the police. Even if they take you seriously (which they won't - stealing by juvenile delinquents is acceptable) if/when they catch them, they will tell you that these 'poor kids' need help, not prosection, blah blah blah. The parents will cuss you for planting tomatoes to tempt their babies. It is this sort of repetitive excusatory behavior that causes criminals to develop - once they get away with a little, they get away with a little more... In ten years when the criminal is finally hauled off to prison or shot commiting a "real" crime, you get to say "I KNEW it!" but that's all. Hopefully you won't be their victim then, too.
BTW, if you plant anything else, they are liable to tear that up just for spite. Remember the pellet gun we discussed? Got a window that faces your plot, with a chair nearby?
I have been thru this as well! Thought we had a neighborhood bandit that was making some killer salsa. It was quite the conundrum. I would have a big tomato getting all big and fat and it was just about to get nice and red and POOF- it was gone. Who could be stealing my glorious fruit?? Damn people. Should I hire tomato guards? Nah, I have hounds, surely they could guard my crop. That was my first mistake! I found they were the ones snacking. Who knew bassets liked tomatos??
At my house, it's not about tomatoes. It's the continual entry into my garage, which is really an enclosed carport. Last week I came home to find that the latch was all bent to hell, so I know it's not my imagination or raccoons. I believe it has already been determined that my extension ladder is firmly secured with steel cable and that even I can't get it free. There's nothing else of value out there. It's where I store junk. I have been thinking of a web cam just so I can identify the culprit(s). If I were growing tomatoes, I'd probably smush them all around my carport and try to capture some footprints. I feel for ya, MH. Honestly.
That sucks!
If somebody does this to my tomato patch, I'm going thermonuclear on my neighborhood. None shall escape my wrath.
sorry to hear that you are having the same problem I am! We had a 6 foot tall tomato plant stolen last night that was planted in a 20gallon bucket. The thing probably weighed 40 pounds. Again, it's not the loss that really chaps my hide -- it's the violation of my space. I went out for some heavy duty fishing line today. We'll see if the thief can avoid my invisible trip lines. GRRRRR!
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