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mensplace

Who would steal heirloom tomatoes?

mensplace
13 years ago

After many months of buying the best possible soil and amendments, babying my seedlings, and working many a long day to pot and repot, water, and organize all of my collection for easy viewing, it downright disheartening to find roughly a third of them suddenly gone. Someone in the Atlanta area or surrounding suburbs now has a considerable collection of my plants. 17 Varieties totally gone, and of the remaining 53 varieties, the stocks were diminished considerably overnight. It first struck me when I noticed the greens missing, as I hadn't sold any, but then upon closer inspection I was shocked to see how many others were gone. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see someone in a nearby community selling large numbers of heirloom tomato varieties. Thing is, not THAT many people go to all of the time and work to start seedlings of heirlooms and grow them out. Since anyone lazy and stupid enough to steal probably wouldn't go to the trouble of repotting, I would be willing to bet that they are still in my heat and waterproof floral or styrofoam coffee cups marked with a permanent market and the larger ones in 16 oz blue or red plastic cups also marked with a black marker.

There probably isn't much that I can do about this, but on the other hand, at least I can warn my friends to be careful when releasing your address to anyone. I couldn't be home ALL the time and it only takes a few minutes for someone to drive up, load what they want, and then be gone. These are curious times and if something is worth anything, it's subject to disappearing. Even in this small town there was a gang of young men driving up to homes and quickly removing garden tools from carports. When they were caught, they had a whole storage unit full of power tools and every possible thing that could be stored in carports. But, Heirloom Tomatoes?!!!

Comments (12)

  • laurelwoodfarms
    13 years ago

    I'm really sorry, that's very sad that someone would steal your plants.

    After growing them from seed and watching over them I'd feel like someone had stolen my babies :-(

    They certainly don't compare to heirlooms, but I have some Roma and Sweet 100 seedlings I've started that you can have if you would like to just have some tomatoes for the year.

  • tifbee
    13 years ago

    I'm sorry this happened to you. The time, care, and labor that goes into growing any plant from seed is extensive. If someone was desperate enough to steal plants then they are willing to do anything. They will probably do something really stupid soon and hopefully get caught.
    I live in Lawrenceville and have an Homestead heirloom tomato seedling you can have.
    If you are part of the mens plant group in Buckhead(?) then I know you guys put alot of work into your plants every year. Again I am sorry for this loss.

  • ladywindsurfer
    13 years ago

    Sorry for your loss, but not surprised.
    In today's world of instant gratification, anything and everything is fair game. You have lots of plants, I want some plants, now I have plants!
    I have lost 1000s of $ worth of plants and other personal property and not all of the thieves have been strangers. Known nearby residents and visitors have been the worst offenders.

  • mensplace
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thank you all for the very kind comments. As I was primarily growing my varieties for seed, I made a special poitn of planting two of each variety before beginning any selling of the extras. This way I will have plenty of seed for my own use and distribution to others later. I firmly believe that things balance out in the end for everyone, so I choose to let whatever happens to whomever be handled In the natural scheme of things. That said, I wanted to warn everyone that giving out personal information such as your address needs to be done with a bit of discretion ...and a record kept. However, even giving a phone number today carries a certain element of risk. As prices continue to skyrocket, more jobs are lost, and more and more people feel the crunch, crime will surely rise. Having read "One Second After" I really do believe that even the basics, such as food in a garden, could well be targeted. Not doom and gloom, but maybe just a sanity check as Georgia now has the highest unemployment in the nation and home invasions are on the rise.

  • mamiof4
    13 years ago

    That is awful. You must feel so violated. I am new to gardening but I can just imagine how it must feel to have someone steal your babies. Have you considered filing a police report. I know some people may feel that it is petty but you seem to be missing a lot of plants and they are your property. The odds of the plants being returned is minimal but at least the police will be aware of what is going. If no one reports then the thefts will increase, not only in your home but in your neighbors as well.

  • girlgroupgirl
    13 years ago

    I'm sorry you were violated, Men's Place. It has happened to me, neighbors have stolen my plants. They have been demanding my food for several years although because I know they stole plants, they have not taken food.
    There are people who steal out of desperation, and there are others who steal because they feel entitled to whatever they want whenever they want it.

  • satellitehead
    13 years ago

    This is unfortunate. Being taken for anything is terrible.

    I personally prefer to grow 20x more heirloom tomatoes and peppers than what I need, and give the remainders away to local community gardens, trades, and then any neighbors within a mile or two of me, with preference going to anyone with young children and eldery/retired/disabled folks. I guess it wouldn't hurt me as bad being that I'm not trying to sell mine...but it would still be pretty insulting, knowing that I'd give them away for free.

  • botanicat
    13 years ago

    That is terrible that someone would take something like that. I have been growing some from seed also because I like them myself and like to give them to friends and people at work. It takes some work and they do feel like babies after I have carried them in and out of the house to get sunshine and back in when nights are cold, etc.

  • woody_ga
    13 years ago

    You might want to try propagating some Poison Ivy and setting it out on a table before you leave the house.

  • trivedi_south
    13 years ago

    I love to garden and love plants.

    In the previous neigborhood that I lived in, my next door neigbor (who worked in a landscaping company) used to send her kids over to my place, inquiring about their missing plants.

    If there was any plant that I stole, it would be right there in my yard...so I would ask them to feel free to look around anytime they wanted.

    I would not steal anyone's plant...the joy of going thro' the process of seedling to plant, is just not there.

  • alsosara
    13 years ago

    That is terrible! I encourage you to look for your plants and varieties on Craigslist, as there are a ton of heirloom seedlings for sale in Atlanta. Link below.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Craigslist search

  • mensplace
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Alsosara,
    Thank you so much for your bringing this to my attention! The many that were stolen are history now, though with three very nice members of the County Sheriff's department having come to purchase their own plants, they are certainly aware of them having been stolen. Too, most that disappeared were of varieties that restaurants, growers, and the police can easily recognize since most were of the more rare varieties and colors including yellows, orange, purple, black, green and striped. That said, I have put this behind me, while considerably enhancing those factors in my own ad that make them unique. From the beginning, I went to great effort to identify those varieties that excel in flavor and, starting in January, just after my two stroke and the news of an incurable disease, used this project as a form of physical and even emotional therapy to keep me interested and moving. Mostly, I just wanted to grow the best plants and varieties possible for my own use in saving two of each plant, but that meant growing extras to provide me with a good selection of my own starters. These will provide me with plenty of seeds for othgers next year and has already provided others throughout the region with their first heirlooms. Too, it has, despite the major downer of the theft, been a means for me to stay active, meet others, and share my own knowledge with lots of people. Because these were my own "babies", I started them with the best possible seed starting mix that I then used espoma organic fertilizers and a blend of many micro-organisms. That has really proven itself. My own garden is thriving and despite the disease that is rapidly and painfully fusing my spine and hips, LIFE CAN BE VERY, VERY GOOD! In many ways, this is what I learned during my time as an E.R. chaplain and expressed in my four books....Happiness is a choice.

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