Many people who attended the ACGA conference in Minneapolis and Saint Paul in August were taken aback by the fact that - as a rule - our community gardens are NOT fenced in.
Open community gardens do face vandalism problems. We find that the vandalism is generally worst in the first few years while a garden is establishing its identity in the community. If neighbors and young people feel like they are welcome whether or not they are plot holders, the gardens are generally free of vandalism. But I won't try to convince anyone that this is a perfect system. It's devastating when a gardener loses a crop that's been nurtured all season. There are actually some people here who think that fencing and locking a site means it is no longer a "community" garden. I disagree with that sentiment, but I can't convince everyone. I have had experiences similar to Sally's in which locking a garden only makes it more attractive to break into. One year I build a six-foot tall walk-in cage covered with chicken wire to set on top of my tomatoes. I built it to keep out the squirrels, not the vandals. I never locked the door, and if some of my tomaotoes disappeared I hardly noticed. But two years later, when I gave the cage to another plot holder in our community garden, he promptly put a lock on the latch. It was only a few weeks until the chicken wire was kicked in. Corrie Zoll Minneapolis -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Sally McCabe Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2005 2:41 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [cg] Fencing, theft & vandalism Here in Philadelphia we've used every different variation of the fence idea over time, and one theme has always emerged. Fences are smoke and mirrors--they're there to mark boundaries--they keep honest people honest, and keep out dogs and small children. Nothing short of landmines will keep out a determined thief who wants your tomatoes. Seedy Acres vegetable garden for 20+ years had a 5-ft turkeywire fence and sometimes locked gate, and suffered periodic break-ins from neighborhood kids turning over rocks to hunt snakes and throwing tomatoes. It now has an always-locked fake-wrought-iron fence which is rigid and easy to climb, and still suffers periodic break-ins from neighborhood kids turning over rocks to hunt snakes and throwing tomatoes. It is in a high-density residential area and has lots of foot traffic past it at all hours. Keeping the gate locked at all times tends to make for less snake-hunters, but nothing keeps out the hard-core tomato-throwers. Roots Garden has a wood/wire fence, is located in a neighborhood park, and has lots of kid & foot traffic. When the gate is kept locked, there's tremendous vandalism to the gate & fence. After we didn't replace the fourth destroyed gate/lock, the vandalism stopped. Go figure. Tomatoes and fruit still walk, but I've learned over the years that, with a few notable exceptions, most theft of produce is an internal matter. Other gardens have gotten away with post & rail fence, but this works best with ornamental gardens, especially with more generic ornamentals. Little xmas-tree-like shrubs will walk even over a 10-ft chainlink fence with razor-wire. Tall fences, especially stockade fences, especially NEW fences, give the impression that you have something to hide, ie., something worth stealing. Community relations is EVERYTHING. Vandalism happens whether you have a fence or not. If somebody wants to destroy your garden, they'll destroy your garden. If you have a fence, they'll just wreck that first. Sally McCabe ______________________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden ______________________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden
