Pumpkins aren't pilferable? Well, I guess you can't stuff one in your pocket and sneak out, but that's not the point.

Root crops are probably smarter. Pilferers don't dig, and the harvest doesn't advertise itself. Tomatoes are -- look at me!!! Root crops also don't require a lot of attention, with demands for harvesting and foliage management.

If pilfering is the primary concern then I'd agree with Dan on root crops although it doesn't take much to pull up some onions or carrots. Problem is depending on where you live it (we need that info) may be very late to plant the common root crops.

I'd suggest - assuming you like and can use them - things that many people don't recognize. Kale, chard, rhubarb, kholrabi, sunchokes, Romanesco broccoli, horseradish, even okra, etc.

Just something to think about.

Dave

Good concept. Plant stuff that doesn't look like food.

Green when ripe tomatoes might work if you wanted any tomatoes there.

I would think that pumpkins and melons would be attractive to someone looking to take something. Hopefully, that isn't a big problem at the community plot. Some I know of have little or no losses.

Thank you for the comments. I'm in zone 5 and I thought it used to be displayed by my user name. I wonder where it went. I'll have to fix that. We just had snow last week so root crops are just starting to go in now. My onions are ready to be planted. I agree that people may take the pumpkins. Pumpkins are so much of a space hog, I just want them out of my garden at home! LOL! I wanted the kale, chard, broccoli and kohlrabi at home where I can easily grow it for the chickens as well as an impromptu salad that night. Here's where i"m running into the problem. I need EVERYTHING at home. :) I'll look into the kohlrabi and the horseradish. Sunchokes might also be an option. At least they won't overtake my garden at home. :) Thanks for the ideas.

Do you plan to have this community garden plot for many years? Do be aware that horseradish is somewhat invasive and pretty much impossible to get rid of once established so you and whoever gardens in that plot in the future will be stuck with it. I would also go with some of the root crops that don't require a lot of maintenance....onions, potatoes, beets, carrots, sweet potatoes. Too late for garlic unless you just want some for green garlic but if you plan to have the plot again next year and you are allowed to overwinter stuff you can plant some in October.

there are veggies that 99.9% of people will not recognize as food. Chicory, crosne, cardoon, gai lan, mizuna, smallage. With the exception of crosne, it is all stuff that figures prominently in my garden. I dare say that even tromboncino will pass the test, as pilferers will wait for it to mature.

Well, the value of the plot is dictated in large part by security. If you understand that this plot is pilfered a lot, it doesn't seem to be a good investment. That is, you ought to be paying to grow what you want to grow, and not what other people don't want.

Dan makes a good point about value of investment. I'd be more inclined to spend the money on getting the perennials like your raspberry plants out of the vegetable garden and into a space of their own or invest in some good containers and grow in them at home.

Dave

I would hate to see you do all the hard work and labor, to only see your products walk away in the night. Not sure I would want to garden there, under those circumstances.

Have you talked to other gardeners on the plots? Is there actually a theft problem or are you just assuming there will be one? Will your plot be on the edges near public areas or in the middle somewhere?

There's a fence around the garden I rent at, only other gardeners know the combo to the lock on the gate. The last town I lived in had no fence around the community garden, and I only had one tomato taken (I only knew it was stolen because it was the first tomato of the season, it was sad :P).

I've never had anything taken from the garden I rent at now.

If you decide to rent it, then I agree with garlic and parsnips. Parsnips can still be planted this year but not dug until next spring although I've heard of people digging them after a frost. How many people are you feeding? I love fingerling potatoes which are expensive to buy. Small "new" potatoes are also pricey but we're still using small red potatoes that have been in garage storage (temp about 55 in winter). But any potato is going to taste better than store bought. I also agree with beets and carrots although I lost most of mine to voles last summer. If you grew an unusual winter squash, I don't think it would be taken. We love kabocha and delicate varieties. It's amazing what people don't know about identifying vegetables. This week our daughter in law said a friend roasted a melon thinking it was a spaghetti squash. I wonder if cabbages would be in the unpopular category - least likely to be stolen.

Mmmmm roasted melon!

If it were me, I'd dedicate a good portion of this plot to garlic. I don't know about theft risks, but garlic is a single-harvest crop that takes up garden real estate for a good chunk of the season, so I'd rather grow something more "dynamic" at home. Garlic also does not need too much attention. Having under 100sq.ft of garden space at home, I do a dozen or so garlic plants for fun, but it's not really worth it compared to many other vegetables.

Other than that, I think root crops are a good bet, also mostly being of the single-harvest variety. Potatoes could be fun; you get a good yield and it's a fairly low-key plant, to the point that I think anyone into pilfering (as opposed to gardening themselves and knowing about plants) might not recognize it.

I don't know (nor feel like trying to estimate it) if garlic and potatoes would make back the 40$ in 250sq.ft, but we're into this hobby for more than savings after all, so whatever you choose, I hope it works out well!

This thread has helped me a ton to see exactly what I am needing here. It's really two separate issues: one, what to plant that people won't take and two, is the money spent for the plot worth it. As for the former, I was asked if I know that pilfering is a problem. I am not sure at this plot, but I have visited other plots and have seen people take things that they admitted were not theirs. I figure it it happens there it could happen anywhere. The solution for this will be garlic, onions, potatoes and other crops that you all mentioned that don't need a bunch of time visiting them until they harvested.

As for the second issue, I am still unsure on that. I am so used to gardening for free that paying for my love of it seems to rub me the wrong way. Oh, if only I had a double sized garden! I would pull out my raspberries, Dave, but they are what keeps my family happily in my garden. Plus, I love all of the homemade jam and pies I make with it. I live in the woods so I have no other place I can move them to. I also think I will do more pots on my deck filled with carrots, radishes and other such things. Maybe I won't need the plot.

Thanks again for any and all ideas. You have all gotten me thinking more about this and anytime spent thinking on the garden is well spent! :)

If you decide to rent the space, maybe use that was your "experimental" garden. Try new crops there you haven't tried before or a new way of growing something.

Nice sized, ~2 1/2", hardneck garlic goes for about $2/bulb at the local farmer's markets around here so you could recoup the $40 very easily on just 50 sq. ft of space dedicated to hardneck garlic with the added bonus of tasty garlic scapes in June. With 6" spacing in a grid you can get about 160 plants in a 50 sq. ft area which should yield about 15-20 lbs.

I typically get around 1 lb. of potato harvest per sq. ft. in my raised beds. You can plant potatoes and onions now (ASAP!!) and harvest them in July or so and still have time to stick in some fall crops like broccoli, lettuce, or carrots in part of the bed and also save some space back for planting garlic in October.

When vegetables and fruit disappear from our community plot, it's generally not people doing the stealing but city rats, squirrels, and crows! lol

Is the $40 for the year?