Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves!!!!

Well, we've been hit by the vegetable thieves. There was a beautiful tomato just sitting on the vine. It was about one day before it would have been ripe enough to pick. When I went back the next day it was gone, as were 2 or 3 others. I called Mary when I got home to see if she had picked it and she said no that she was saving it for me. We have been getting reports of thieves in the area. Generally, when they are caught they give whatever they stole to whoever caught them and they explain their actions by saying they thought that these are community gardens. I don't know of any place where people go in and work for hours in the hot sun and then you can go and help yourself. I don't mind helping someone in need, but I don't like people who feel that they are entitled to help themselves. Even the gardens that the city had the foods went to Our Daily Bread for distribution. Average citizens did not help themselves.

I did take one of my Alarm Pro signs from here at the house and post it down there. I don't know if it will do any good or not, but it might give someone a pause for thought. I also want a private property sign that will remove the excuse of "community gardens".

This watermelon was a real surprise. I was just checking to see if we had any watermelons starting. I was amazed to see this large one. I check the garden each time I go there to see what is growing. This picture is not the best in the world. I put my cellphone on top of it to try to give an idea of the size of the melon. It is pretty well hidden by the leaves of the plant so I don't know if the thieves will get it before we do or not. I hope it tastes better then the cantaloupe I got the other day. I wasn't trying to pick it. I was just trying to check the stem end to see if it was any where near ripe when the stem just snapped. It was really aromatic and my car was full of the smell of cantaloupe. I let it set here at home for about 2 days before I cut it. It didn't have much of a taste at all. I just hope that perhaps it was picked too soon.

Our corn is starting to sprout ears. The silk is still yellow but in some places it is starting to brown up. The eggplants are coming in pretty well. The tomatoes are still green. There are plenty of them but they are green. The peppers remain on the small side. They are California Wonders. I just wonder if we got Bell Peppers if they would have been bigger. We are finally getting blooms on the bean plants but no beans yet. However, the bean plants are reaching out and trying to strangle anything close to them.

As an aside, my topsy turvy tomato plant here at home has 9 tomatoes on it and 3 of them are starting to ripen. The lettuce in my wonder box is doing well. I just prefer romaine lettuce or something with more body than the kind that grew from the seed packet I had.

Well that's the update for now. I wonder if the local paper, The Eagle, would be interested in reporting on the thievery going on in the gardens????