It’s important to remember that most produce theft is not malicious. Often, people that steal produce are hungry and take from the garden if an opportunity presents itself. On rare occasions, a community gardener might be tempted to take produce from another gardener’s plot. Recognizing the incredible disappointment when a long-awaited vegetable is taken, seasoned gardeners tend to adopt the attitude that "if they needed it that bad, I hope they enjoyed it."

DUG recommends the following strategies for deterring theft:

Install a Donation Basket: Affix a donation basket to a fence post near the front gate of the garden, where gardeners can easily donate their extra vegetables on their way out of the garden. Ideally the basket should include an informal sign offering the extra vegetables to neighbors in need and requesting that the basket be left in place. It would also be useful to explain on the sign the way the garden works and how to go about getting on a list for a plot. Rather than asking all gardeners to donate surplus to the basket, another strategy is for your garden to designate a community plot, cultivated specifically to provide produce for the basket. Donation baskets make non-gardeners feel welcome and included and that can go a long way toward creating a sense of community in your garden and neighborhood and in turn preventing theft.

Plant Perimeter Edibles: Plant a row of food along the outside of the garden fence, such as a raspberry hedge, or grape vines, that people walking by can snack from, potentially curbing their temptation to enter the garden and take vegetables from individual plots. 

Educate the Broader Community: Create a flyer mentioning all of the neighboring business, institutions and police officers that are partnering with the garden in an informal neighborhood watch program. The purpose of the flyer is to help spread the word that a community garden is a neighborhood asset and that a garden works best when everyone does their part to help prevent theft and vandalism. The flyer should also explain how a community garden works, how to get involved and that “community” garden doesn’t mean the produce is free for all community members to take. Recently, DUG has developed signage for gardens to attach to their perimeter fence, which asks passersby to respect the garden and the hard work of the gardeners and to please not take produce without permission. To obtain one of these signs for your garden, please contact DUG at 303.292.9900 or dirt@dug.org.

Engage Watchful Eyes: If you seem to have a problem with theft (or vandalism), notify gardeners and neighbors and ask them to keep an eye on things. Make friends with neighbors whose windows overlook the community garden, trading flowers and vegetables for a protective eye. Talk to the community officer in your area and ask them to be sure and add the garden to their daily route. If you suspect that youth are vandalizing your community garden, alert the administrators of the local middle and high schools.

Confronting Someone in the Act: With every strategy, communication is critical, and that means talking to the produce thief if you happen to catch them in the act. It’s important not to accuse, but rather approach them in a friendly way, explain how a community garden works and that taking produce without permission is not allowed and then invite the person to get involved as a gardener or volunteer. Gardeners are generous people and they tend to be very willing to share their harvest, but they are especially willing when asked. 

Planning Your Plot to Deter Theft: Consider arranging your plot to be less inviting to theft, including planting potatoes, other root crops, and/or less desirable vegetables at the edges of your plot, while being sure to harvest crops like tomatoes and peppers on a daily basis as soon as they ripen. Other creative ideas include planting crops such as purple varieties of cauliflower and beans and white eggplants to confuse opportunistic thieves. 

Garden theft, while frustrating, is usually an act that comes from a place of hunger or misunderstanding. Community gardens, by their nature and location, will always be more prone to theft than home gardens. As a community gardener, you will have a much happier growing season if you anticipate and accept that garden theft sometimes happens, regardless of the steps you take to prevent it. 

Last updated on January 7, 2011 by Denver Urban Gardens