Protecting the fruits of their labor: gardeners report stolen produce

On March 10, a Mutual 2 resident gardener took a photo of his plot, proud of the progress of his tomato plant. Its vines sagged with the weight of about 10 ripe and nearly ripe tomatoes. Later that evening, the resident sent his wife down to the plot to pick a few for dinner, only to find the vines barren—only unripe, orange and green tomatoes remained.

This isn’t the first time his homegrown produce has been stolen, and he’s not the only gardener facing this problem.

GRF Security has recently received several reports of vegetables being stolen from individual garden plots from the LW Community Gardens.

These plots are rented and maintained by individual residents who invest their time, effort and personal funds into growing their gardens.

All residents should respect these garden spaces. The produce grown in each plot belongs to the resident who rents that plot.

While the garden area is meant to be enjoyed by the community, harvesting from another resident’s plot without permission is not appropriate. Unfortunately, the number of these incidents has increased, and Security is asking for everyone’s cooperation in helping protect the work that gardeners put into their spaces.

Residents can report suspicious persons or actions in the gardens to Security, available 24/7, by calling 562-594-4754.

—GRF Security Department