Kitchen Garden Forum

I think the camouflage gear might be best and then you can lurk in the undergrowth with a video camera and catch him at it.

Alternatively, can you get some sort of harmless coloured powder that you could sprinkle over the area concerned; one that doesn't wash off!

Do you have a mobile phone with a camera on it?

If so, do some lurking in bushes then take his photo. You can then email it to yourself, print it off an voila, prove.

Won't do much good in the dark though as mobiles don't have a flash (do they?), you'd need infra red I guess. If there was a flash it would be a giveaway too.

What about a big notice stating that thieves are stealing potatoes etc and that CCTV is now in operation. It might scare him off.

I feel personally abused when I hear of Potato theft. It's a big concern amongst the potato-headed community.

You could use a standard MiniDV camera (preferably with nightshot mode) buy the longest tape you can (about 90 mins) and set it to record on low quality mode. You should find you'll get 2-3 hours of recording and mightjust about run off a battery if you keep the little side-monitor shut / off. Would that be enough to cover the suspected hours of the evil act?

An alternative is a nanny-cam which, if you have someone that lives quite close to the site, could record to a normal vcr or watch via a laptop. Something like thiswould probably be your best bet.

Chantal you're right. I'm a prat.

Oh well, he could always set up a trip wire and send him tumbling into something horrible. That's what I would do

I have for many years cultivated my mother’s vegetable garden. The garden is surrounded by open fields as far as the horizon. Last year the farmer who grows produce in the field at the bottom of the garden employed east European women to pick the harvest. It was at this time I noticed that our tomatoes were being stolen; there were no other people only these women pickers to be seen. It was obvious and I was convinced that they were nipping over the hedge and helping themselves to my Gardeners’ Delight tomatoes. When I was working on the patch they would often wave to me when they were taking a break, I used to wave back thinking that they were having a damn good laugh at me whilst enjoying my tomatoes. However I blackened their reputations by telling everyone in the village and at work of their evil doings.

Later whilst having tea with my mother, she told me that a neighbour had been kind to her and she asked him to help himself to any tomatoes he wanted as we had plenty.

Barney

Three plots have now had potatoes stolen. It is obviously an inside job too, since the thief knows exactly which plants to lift and which to leave alone. Grim, isn't it?

Go to your local hardware shop and purchase a sign which says 'Warning,spraying in progress'with a yellow skull and cross bones on it,or something similar.It might make him stop and give your spuds a wide berth!

I think it is the issue of violation that is most irritating, especially when most sites run on trust and good will etc, put razor blades in the ground on top of the spuds, that would put him off!! Seriously not a good idea though, because of the risks. I just think it is sad, and would want to give him a good ear bashing, what is his plot like?

Has anyone tried burgling his site?

Dear All,
a couple of years ago I was having shallots stolen, not many at a time (just enough for a salad I thought) so I put a label in the end of the row the day after some had been stolen with the words reminder sprayed with zzzzz fungicide don't eat for 14 days from and the date two days previous. I then left the empty packets by my shed door and do you know no more got nicked... strange that.
I had Strawberries nicked last year so I shall be putting a notice in the middle of them saying SMILE! you're on television. I know THAT was an inside job as they put the nets back!
Regards Sally Wright.

Rather than being rather polite in tackling the problem, if you know who its is, tell them you are going to send round the Piglet to give him a "friendly chat" or if your brave enough, threaten him with a slap yourself if anything else goes missing.

Being confronted with the issue ought to make him stop as he will know that he has been fingered. If you dont he will just carry on

You could always hold a 'meeting' and make sure the offender is there, then say in general terms that you know who the offender is and that you'll take it further and identify them, if the theft doesn't stop...

Dear Mr Potatohead,
having one's suspicions and being certain because you caught them in the act are not the same thing are they. You cannot point the finger if you only suspect the person. If you get it wrong the consequences are a real pain.
Regards Sally Wright.

What I mean is that you don't actually single anyone out, just imply that you know who it is, and that if it doesn't stop, you would take action. Obviously, you'll need to get evidence before the finger-wagging starts...

Bluffing is 9/10ths of the law... or is that possesion?

I suspect I'm getting emotional at the thought of my fellow PH's being potato-napped...