How do you deal with people stealing from your food garden?

[Anonymous]

A motion activated sprinkler would be fun!

Along the same lines you could wait with your garden hose and turn it on when they jump on the retaining wall — if you want to be confrontational.

Either way, you’ll make your point.

[Anonymous]

Why doesn't the mother say no? And if she does say no and it continues, then why aren't there ramifications? I don't get the lack of discipline. It might be just a plant to the mom, but whatever. It's disrespectful of other people's property.

[Anonymous]

She's shopping at Whole Foods, but her kids are stealing berries? If they're eating them immediately, there's no way to wash them and presumably you haven't issued Organic guarantees to the neighborhood. You might tell her you've been considering spraying with insecticides and you want to make sure her kids aren't hurt.

[Anonymous]

Spraying the kids with water might be gratifying, but I don't think it would be an effective deterrent. As a kid what I liked most in the summer was playing in water. If you hook up automatic sprinklers, the kids may decide your house is the neighborhood splash park.

[Anonymous]

What kind of berries?

How are they damaging the plant?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Animal Deterrent Repellent Automated Sprinkler

this would be fun hook a video up as well.

but how about wait for them and next time, show them how to pull the berries with out damaging the plant. Ie turn it into a learning experience..

Better yet, how about the mom teaches them as out staying off others’ property.

[Anonymous]

Put up those yellow pesticide lawn flags all over the place.

[Anonymous]

An actual fence would become an option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What kind of berries?

How are they damaging the plant?

Strawberries, they are trampling plants and half-yanking them up.

Rental so a fence is not an option.

[Anonymous]

There’s no way that I’m going to sit lying in wait for this family every day in case they come by. The pesticide flags might work although Whole Foods does sell conventional produce as well as organic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What kind of berries?

How are they damaging the plant?

Strawberries, they are trampling plants and half-yanking them up.

Rental so a fence is not an option.

For strawberries, I'd put chicken wire gently over the plants. It helps keep critters out. Still can't imagine them being so close to a sidewalk that people could take them, but you may have an odd placement of the garden.

Guess you'll have to add it next year, since strawberry season is pretty much over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What kind of berries?

How are they damaging the plant?

Strawberries, they are trampling plants and half-yanking them up.

Rental so a fence is not an option.

For strawberries, I'd put chicken wire gently over the plants. It helps keep critters out. Still can't imagine them being so close to a sidewalk that people could take them, but you may have an odd placement of the garden.

Guess you'll have to add it next year, since strawberry season is pretty much over.

Not OP, but we still have plenty of strawberries in our garden. I'm just surprised OP's taste so good that kids are willing to eat them! Ours are acidic, despite DH selecting plants from a specialized garden center. So disappointing.

OP, do you mind sharing the variety?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What kind of berries?

How are they damaging the plant?

Strawberries, they are trampling plants and half-yanking them up.

Rental so a fence is not an option.

For strawberries, I'd put chicken wire gently over the plants. It helps keep critters out. Still can't imagine them being so close to a sidewalk that people could take them, but you may have an odd placement of the garden.

Guess you'll have to add it next year, since strawberry season is pretty much over.

Not OP, but we still have plenty of strawberries in our garden. I'm just surprised OP's taste so good that kids are willing to eat them! Ours are acidic, despite DH selecting plants from a specialized garden center. So disappointing.

OP, do you mind sharing the variety?

I think the heat is to blame. Mine were good two weeks ago when it was a little cooler. Now they are smaller and nasty, that's why I said the season is basically over. It usually goes from mid-May to mid-June.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She's shopping at Whole Foods, but her kids are stealing berries? If they're eating them immediately, there's no way to wash them and presumably you haven't issued Organic guarantees to the neighborhood. You might tell her you've been considering spraying with insecticides and you want to make sure her kids aren't hurt.

Put a sign up saying you've sprayed your berries with poison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Put up those yellow pesticide lawn flags all over the place.

Is that what those are? I always thought those were invisible fence flags.