Due to lack of space, we've been growing daikon and tomatoes and onions in our raised garden beds in our front yard and some jerk(s?) have been stealing them. My partner doesn't feel as violated as I do when our veggies start disappearing, but I do, so this is really helpful! I'm also looking into creating a netting over the garden beds that are lockable and removable. I've always been an introvert and bookworm, but now I'm looking into woodwork and reworking our yard so that they can't steal our veggies!
Again I agree with growing more then you need, so you can share and give away surplus. Planting things like berrys , fruit and nuts along your boundary for hungry folk to help themselves, where I live is a lower socio/economic neighbourhood but we have things like grapes and passion fruit particularly for children going to or coming back from school.Mother nature herself in her most generous nature teaches us to be givers. Give and it shall be given back to you, pressed down, shaken together and running over.
We planted some crops that are largely unknown in the US. One of the crops we planted for my wife is what she knows as huckleberry. It is NOT what most people in the US would know. It is an African vegetable that is a member of the nightshade family and looks a lot like poisonous nightshade. The plants are in fact completely edible. The berries are edible but flavorless. They typically harvest the greens and eat those like spinach steamed into their dishes. Very tasty! Never once had it stolen. Lost a lot of other veggies but never that one!
I would be upset too. Vegetable gardens are like children, they require a lot of attention and hard work. It sucks when someone steals from you! Community garden doesn't mean free for the taking.
I have a sad situation with the anise hyssop that I grow. This garden stretches along a fence that is on the other side of a playground. I have been working on this for the past 4 seasons. For the past 3 seasons, someone comes regularly and cuts off tops of the anise hyssop plants. Harvesting actually. The person has become bolder each year. This year they began cutting them before blooms have formed. I am ready to relocate them. I have put up many polite signs. Whoever does this simply does not care. I have written that the plants are for the bees and the neighbors to enjoy but not for the taking. Last year I actually cried, mainly because I have felt so disrespected. Harvesting my plants. They barely get to have flowers. This year my sign reads "Stop! No more stealing!" Wish me and the bees some luck.
You can't leave anything laying around because people will take anything that's not nailed down, even if they don't need it. I left an old broom in my front yard one afternoon and didn't remember until after the sun went down. Too late, already gone.
That's so ghetto! It is amazing that some places in the world you can leave things around and no one steals them. I recall the first time I went somewhere that people sold their own produce at the top of their driveway with money boxes for people to just leave the correct money and help themselves.
There ain't nothing that makes me more mad then somebody stealing something that belongs to me. Ya work hard all the time and earn money to purchase something. Then you take the time to set it up get it working just the way you like it and someone comes along and decides that they deserve that more than you do. There's nothing worse or despicable than a liar or a thief. I think they are one and the same. You seem like a really good person. Keep teaching people your craft and making these informative videos. I know I have learned quite a bit from them and I just started watching them a couple of weeks ago. Karma will come around and teach each and everyone of us how to live appropriately. Thanks for the information and God Bless.
To everyone in the comment section, here are some basic facts about most thieves. Most of them don't steal because they are hungry and left without other options, most of them steal because they are greedy, cheap, and too lazy to earn their own rewards. Thieves are not "in need", if that were the case, they would kindly ask for help from their neighbors, the food bank, or simply ask the gardener whether the gardener would offer some food. In conclusion, thieves deserve to be smacked and beat as a public example so that younger generations know what not to do with their lives.
One could also install a motion sensor sprinkler system that start watering when it sensors people walking. They have them to scare animals... All that needs to be hidden though. .. Good kuch with your new timer... 🌱🌱🌱
hey john, In South Africa the buggers steal everything. What we have done is weld together a lockable box over the tap and water timer which then bolts to the wall. Over here they take the whole tap and just leave the spraying water... The rule is, If its useful to you then its useful to them. Protect what you have :) Thanks for all the vids keep em coming
Great ideas! Found a couple of ripe squash gone from my front yard garden this morning and love the Yacon idea in particular for the strip closest to the street. Haven't got that seed now, but have plenty of sunflower for a late season planting here in Uruguay. Funny, nobody stole the sunflower heads that already ripened. I cut the last of them down the other day and have given away a lot of sunflower seed. That's the silly thing, I give the produce away! People need to ask instead of stealing.
Theives never ask they just take and even vandalise along the way, i dont know why he is so smiley about it, people put a lot of money time and energy into their gardens.
You should grow something near the water timer so it can't easily be seen. It's amazing what people will steal. I used to commute to the bus stop on my bike, and someone stole the rear wheel and deraiileur because they couldn't unlock the bike from the bike stand...right across the street from the police station.
The sunchokes I bought from you are pushing 9 feet high. Can't wait to harvest and replant. Am planning on putting many in a community garden and use then for demonstrations and food for the needy.
Love your videos, but they do point out the differences in this country. In Idaho we use a 40 S&W to deal with thieves. Probably why we don't have much vandalism or theft.
I love this guy. He's awesome. I feek like we'd get along great out at my garden plot discussing options!! I had a water nozzle and some tomatoes stollen!
The community garden I I had 2 years ago got really messed with. Someone stole cucumbers from my friend. Another had tools scattered and missing food. Soccer moms come over from the soccer games across from the garden and take food. It's amazing how one can take with no remorse on how much someone else took to grow food for themselves. Yet they eat it. I had someone who was staying with me go thru my garden and eat it all without asking. If they had asked it would have been much easier to expec
I love the idea of planting stuff that looks like weeds. I have so much to learn and I want to thank you for teaching me. My garden is doing good thanks to you. I am trying to grow black corn right now and so far it looks good too. Anyway keep the videos coming.
Stinging nettles are often used to make sirup in my country! It tastes very good and is very healthy but I've never heard of anyone who'd grow them in their garden, since they're just all arround in the forrests... but definitely very tasty and healthy. I actually don't like any herbal tea aside from stinging nettle (unless it has a spoonful of honey in it).
I'm watching this instead of sleeping as I'm so angry that someone has dug up two of my chili plants and they cut one of my two capsicums from my planter in the community garden. Tomorrow I'm digging everything up and putting them in pots and I'll try and figure out where to put them all in our tiny backyard. Some people are just jerks.
John, you are so optimistic and it's very inspiring. I watch your videos to learn more about gardening and to be inspired by your attitude towards life. Thank you
Hey thanks man! I have been wanting to start growing my own food for a long time and I think your videos can really help me out. You seem very knowledgeable. keep making these great videos!
Makes my blood boil when I hear and see that efforts of kind individuals are taking advantage of. Admire how you try to make some good come from the incident. I'm disgusted with individuals who only think of themselves and ruin it for others. Wish we could rid of them as easily as the non-beneficial bugs in our garden. Truly admire your efforts!! I got discouraged and burned from helping individuals from a hurricane several years ago. Personally can't stomach getting burned again.
I also live in Ohio. You would contact the city manager (one of many people you could ask. If they don't know, they can direct you to who does.) and ask about community garden availability. If your town doesn't have one the next town over may, it just depends on how far you can travel. Our town has one and the plots are very inexpensive ($25 for the season for a 48'x52' plot. They are locked and the lessee has a key..water/hoses, wheelbarrows, and composting is INCLUDED in the price of the plot.
maybe you could post the rules for your particular community garden on your fence so that people know that this particular community garden is not a joint venture, sharing or collective garden but rather one which each person is assigned their particular plot and requested to respect other's personal property. Since all community gardens have different rules, it really should be posted in several places so that it is easy for people to know what the rules are in the community garden they are in
I am busy with a concept already. Thanks :) hopefully if it goes well I will be giving food out but from my garden soon. Johns inspiration for the last 3 years has turned my lawn into vegetables :)
So sorry your suffering! People going loko and stealing from one of the greatest hopes for a community is certainly tragic. Is it possible to understand any kind of psychology like this that might be going around? Barb wire seems more difficult to cut. Security guards and security cameras can cost. Having nice programs for volunteers may help some. Volunteers could at least help with surveillance. Is there any neighborhood that does not need good community gardens? How to fight Agricultural pollution than to buy organic and grow organic? Thank you for sharing great videos! Your efforts with this is just great!
Always amazed at how bad community gardens often look - not sure if it just folks have different ideas of what to do/plant on their plots or what - but they always look like haphazard areas with garbage, rusty pipes/fence and tires..
Hey John, great video. How can I go about getting that sweet stinging nettle you mention? I go to Germany about 1x a year. Are there any types I would regret eating?
We have a communal garden in the neighbourhood where several of us neighbour work hard and cultivate. It's been frequently visited by a domestic helper of a neighbour who just take anything and bring children that destroy the crops :'(
I've been using aeroponic cloning methods for cloning stinging nettle, the clone cuttings just need to be cut at a 45 degree angle, and kept in the cloner for approximately 4-8 days and they'll have big enough roots to place into dirt, I'm using plain water most of the time, however, clonex or some other rooting agent makes this plant extremely easy to propagate :) My stinging nettles are all from my best seedling now, perfect clones of the original mom
2 other ways to have a watering system that is harder to mess with: 1st method: olla irrigation (ie. clay pot or clay pipe system) mostly underground PLUS you don't need a timer because it only waters the plants when it's dry out)). Olla irrigation is also great because you don't need batteries or electricity for it. 2nd method: Hugelkultur (a way of using old logs as sponges to hold the water) where in theory, you will rarely need to water, except under ultra extreme drought conditions.
Thieves are Thieves and Wrong is Wrong, you shouldn't down play them as not being a problem or something to be tolerated. Being a victim is never cool. Fool you once, shame on them...fool you twice...shame on you John. Criminals prey on what they perceive as weak no matter how you see it. Enjoy the videos...Keep 'em FREE!
Hey John...a quick comment :) When you talk about different plants (which I am so excited to try) may I suggest that you spell things out so we can find the plant? Like Yukon....Yucone??? I know that when a person is talking on a video, sometimes the sound doesn't come out right. Or you get old and can't hear :D Anyway, appreciate your videos!!! Keep 'em coming!!!!! Take care.............Carla
A guy came to our community garden and said he loved it! Turned out he and his family just love fried green tomatoes and he found a great place to pick some for free! He said he thought it was ok to do this. I cannot figure out the insanity of this story.
I have a neighbor who walks into my backyard (I rent and it isn't fenced in) and picks some of my tomatoes. I would be more than happy to give him some, but I feel violated and angry when someone thinks it's okay to just harvest the fruits of someone else's labor. It's laziness and just rude.
Hi John, my name is Regina and i live in Wisconsin, i to am a gardener and just love your videos, i don't have to problems you are having, it's to bad that people just can't ask and have to ruin something of some elses, i have a huge lot in my town, it's the biggest lot, This fall i'm tilling it all up and put in my fertilzers and compost for the spring growing season.. good luck and you may want to get a few cameras setup, i know they are expensive,but Walmart has them for under $ 50..grow :)
@@rebeccarekward251 ten years later you had to respond too.. lol wow that had to have been a long wait to write those 3 little letters . Best of luck to you as a Grammer teacher..
i do think it should be a cumunity garden for all but they should also respect it that you put your hard work in so they can harvest good food and not steel or pick it bare
I don't understand why he doesn't have his own TV show. I would love to watch.With so much crap on TV think about how beneficial his info would be for so many people. Hint Hint PBS .
you can automate pest management to a certain extent. permaculture. integrated pest management. grow certain plants that ward off pests, certain plants that attracts beneficial insects & that attract other animals that will take care of the pests for you.
You have a great attitude John. My house was just broken into and I went into a rage. People have been stealing squash from my front yard also. Stealing veggies I don't mind much, at least they're eating healthy!
Wow, John's a lot more gracious than I would be. I wish nothing but ill on a thief (with very few exceptions... i.e. I understand stealing food rather than starving). Here's my solution to to "pilfering" in a community garden: to hell with a community garden. There are just too many rotten apples in society, firstly; and secondly, I can grow enough to feed ten people in a relatively small space. I don't need any help from others to do this, and it's much easier to protect a home garden.
Someone stole all my ripe peppers and some of my zuchini earlier from my p-patch . What made it even worse , the culprit was there. She claimed she worked at the non-profit whose property the patch is on, and "helped " me by removing some "overgrown spoiled zuchini ". Yeah, sure lady. I called her out on the pepper theft also, she said "I'll put up a note inside to make sure nobody does this again." I had to leave, I was furious and wanted to strangle her. Can't have anything nice lol...
Some interesting facts from history: Whole Napoleon army's war uniform were made of Stinging Nattle's fiber. In past days SN were planted nearby bee hives to protect bees from frogs. In Middle Ages people were hanging SN on their windows to protect house from lightning bolts, bad omen and ghosts. Wikings dedicate this herb to Thor(God of Thunder and Lighning Bolts). Fermented SN with water: 1:10= fertilizer, 1:20= sprayed on aphids very effective organic controller( smell worse than shit!beware)
(cont.) I recommend the turboklone cloner, mine has 24 sites, and I use it for cloning medicinal cannabis as well as stinging nettle...I'm working on cloning some dill right now, but not sure its gonna root in time, but I'll know in a week :) I tried asparagus, it didin't work, and soon I'll try to take a 45 degree cutting of a strawberry runner and see if it roots in the cloner as well...lots of aeroponic experimenting...hopefully I'll have a pretty big list of cloneable plants soon! :)
Lol, I don't know why the hell I watched this vid, I don't even know how I got here, I was watching call of duty and weight lifting vids...... But this wasn't too bad, some really good info. Even though I'll probably never return to any of these vids, keep up the good work, lots of people probably really appreciate these :) Who knows, maybe I will. I like agriculture and stuff like that, I help maintain a large garden in my backyard. I'm 18 so gardening isn't exactly a priority of mine. lol
Hey John, I just love how you always look on the bright side of things! Just one question though...what the heck are you doing in my dreams??? I had the funniest dream about you the other night! I must be watching too many of your videos! Or, maybe I just wish I could meet a guy like you who lives close to me ;-)
those sting nettles or as we call them "itch weeds" grow wild around the creeks here in Missouri , they are a real pain if you are walking along the bank trying to fish , but I never knew they had any good uses...
John I really like JAchokes have you tried to pickle them they are great in balsamic vinegar planning to have a community garden and plant them there keeo up the good work and sorry for your water timer and a box is a good idea and I have been waiting forever for the earth mister system video Best Regards
John, I've wanted to grow the sting nettles for a long time. How will one know when you are making them available?? Thanks - can't believe how many of your videos I've watched. I feel like you're my next door neighbor or a close friend lol!
How do you spell, yacone (?) ? Does it need a long season, or do you think it could be grown in the niagara peninsula.It's quite humid and hot in summer and season is from may 24 to Sept or sometimes as late as October.Quite temperate but acn have quite cold and snowy winters.
Hey John, you mentioned that you have a website (putting stinging nettle seeds on the site), what is it? You said you sell juicers and the sort some episodes ago too, where can your viewers support you?
Plants and even soil gets stolen from my community garden, they even ripped out all the nettle (I don’t think they ate it they just thought they were weeding the garden which has me super frustrated because they disrupt and kill all my seeds I plant as well, I’m very upset) Problem is o can’t build a fence and my partners don’t want me planting nettle because “think of the children” 🙄
Plant "landmines" of fresh manure. Or to be serious possibly some goji which many people probably won't take a chance eating because they look possibly poisonous.
I love the ideas of planting uncommon varieties. Glad you have a positive attitude on the timer being stolen. Maybe one of your viewers will send you a new one. That being said, do you have a P.O Box for us viewers to send you such things etc and if so, will you please provide it for us? Ps, I see little Mr. Stitch in the background, ♥ give him some lovins for me =)
Here's the thing -- most of the time people don't steal to eat because they are hungry.. they steal from a garden simply because they can.. ( dude i want some tomatoes -- plants in the open, no one around-- picked and they walk off ) I agree that we should feed one another, but under honest circumstances, not theft...I'm sure John does enough for his community. Protecting one's hard work isn't wrong is natural
