Grow Your Own Needs You!

[Emma Ward]

Afternoon all,

I hope you're all ready for the upcoming bank holiday weekend. Here at GYO, we're all a bit excited about an extra day of playing outside in the garden! The growing season is really under way now, and we wouldn't want anything to de-rail it.

Which brings me to my question for the month, and it involves plot security. I know a number of you have had difficulty keeping your plot free from vandals, it's such a heartbreaking thing - so I'd like to know the lengths you go to so your lottie is safe.

Do you have a shed? Is it kept locked? Do you store tools on your plot? Have you ever had anything stolen? How do you keep unwanted human visitors from visiting? Do you think cctv would be a good idea? Do you think it is a council's responsibility to protect the land?


I look forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences! Your responses may be edited and published in the August issue of Grow Your Own.

Thanks
Emma

[Nicos]

OK..so I'll repost my answer here!!!


We only kept very old tools in our shed on the lottie. Nothing I'd be too bothered about if they were stolen
The only sheds which were targeted on our site were the newer looking ones.
Most people didn't lock their sheds so someone could open up- see there was nothing much worth stealing- and move on.
We found that things which tended to be taken from sheds were car boot sale quality or better. Old stuff tended to be left.

Theft of crops didn't happen very often.
We had one main lockable gate to prevent car access to which every lottie holder held a key.

[Liza]

We had intruders a week ago, they cut through the fence between my two elder trees.

Everyone blamed kids but the footprints through my lettuce and beetroot bed were too big.

They broke into five sheds ( which were locked ) and stole strimmers and petrol, they even took the roof off of one of them to get in ! Then poured weedkiller into the water troughs.

I leave my shed unlocked and nothing of any value in it.

The problem was reported to the ploice by five people so they had to respond. They will patrol the area every afternoon, the break- ins happen on a saturday night usually so CCTV maybe the way to go, what a shame it has come to this.

[binley100]

We now have guard dog patrol on site due to breakins and arson attacks.
We don't lock our shed as there is nothing valuable left in it. In fact anyone who has a quick look in may be forgiven in thinking thieves may have been there before them.
The only thing that is on the nickable list is the camping stove and that's hidden elsewhere.

[snakeshack]

shed is unlocked with an open bucket of comfrey tea just inside the door,no one likes that!Anything valuable ,stove ,kettle,beer & tools are kept under the shed which is screwed down to lengths of railway sweeper to prevent lifting and has old compost bags stuffed in the end

[Hans Mum]

we've had weeks of intruders, started with pinching any drinks/snacks left in sheds (most are not locked as they do more damage getting in than the value of anything they pinch) now no-one leaves anything to eat or drink but they keep coming back 2/3 times a week and just trashing the sheds looking for stuff The police and CSO's have put notices up and are doing random visits at dusk but nothing yet, we all report every shed entered individually to get a seperate crime number each as it ensures the police keep coming as we have high crime numbers now so are considered a 'hot spot'. We can't work out where they are getting in which is even more frustrating but have planted pyracanthus, transplated brambles along most of the perimeter fence in an effort to dissuade them. Good thing though is we got £250 from Proceeds of Crime fund which will be used for a piece of equipment for site.

[susieq100]

We had a few break ins last summer where sheds were damaged and some tools stolen but it was mostly mindless vandalism. The site is not secure so access presented no challenge. However, two or three of the plotholders live very close to the site and 'kept their ear to the ground' and heard rumours about who the culprits were. These plotholders then went and had a quiet and menacing word with the youths involved. No more break-ins or damage since. I'm afraid that neither the police nor the council were interested. The council claimed it was far too expensive to make the site secure - they are right of course if you want fencing, but a holly or thorn hedge would be a better long term solution.

[screwbylil]

aargghh

in the past 5 days i have had a trowel and watering can taken out my greenhouse a cultivator sort of thingy stolen out my shed, a sqaush plant dug up and taken away, and yesterday i went down to water and lo and behold they just took the nozzle out of the hosepipe !!!!!!!!!!!
Ours is a locked and fenced in site so im thinking its someone who just needed these things, its so annoying, the commitee seem to think its people on our site who are doing this as well. Last year someone helped themselves to a whole row of runner bean plants but good news they left the canes!
I wouldnt dream of wandering on to anyone elses plot so it really peeves me to think these people think its ok to help themselves to whatever there short off.

[mamas-inc]

we have a no shed policy on our site which has reduced vandalism. We had a spate of sheds being burnt down just for kicks!! so the no shed policy was then put in place, but we do still have odd things taken. as most people have a few tools stored but nothing valuable. No crops taken

[Jardiniere]

this is bound to be courting trouble BUT my piece of land is virtually unfenced - there are posts and wire to delineate the edges thats all and its open to a public back road, right on the lock on the river so boats go by in the summer, and close to the picnic area where the local youth hang out from time to time and where people picnic, stay all night in their camper vans etc and so far the only things that have gone missing were three metal posts and this was early on just after it was cleared and there wasnt much planting but since its been planted up and the chickens are there too i have had nothing touched (except jerusalem artichoke theft by wild boar).We dont keep tools on the plot. We did however have some firewood taken in the winter ...we had a large stack at the other end and a few used to go each weekend ...we have moved most of it now.
Keeping fingers crossed!

[SarzWix]

Our site backs onto a primary school playing field, with a drainage ditch running between, and has a footpath running through the centre of it. Potentially, we could have an awful lot of trouble, but in reality it's not too bad. We've had an odd few theft incidents over the years, and a bit of trouble with young 'uns pulling up onions to throw at each other... But since the site has been fully occupied these things have got less rather than more.
I don't lock my gate, and the worst thing that's ever happened on my plot is some doylem practising golf on the school field whacking his ball right through my greenhouse

[Emma Ward]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences. It's such a shame that so many of you have had problems. Could you name three courses of action that you think might reduce vandalism on the plot?

Thanks
Emma

[Nicos]

Decent security fencing..to put off impulse theft..ie bit of babed wire high enough to make climbing over difficult....and locked gates.

No valuable tools left on site

or....

[Jeanied]

Three things to improve the security?
1) Better fencing round the plots
2) More plotholders around the place, working their plots and keeping an eye out - especially those who live beside the plots and hear things after the gates have been locked
3) Better policing in the area to catch the worst offenders.
4) more interesting things for the local scallywags to do
sorry can't count.

[Hans Mum]

Plant really thorny stuff along the perimeter fencing - pyracanthus, brambles, etc.
Let nettles grow vigorously
Use anti vandal paint (spoils their nice designer gear) PCSO's give us some