We lost most of our Victoria plums

Gardening to 'grow your own food' from square foot to half an acre !!
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elliebear15
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We lost most of our Victoria plums

Post by elliebear15 »

Our Victoria plum tree was laden with plums and I hadn't harvested more than a few handfuls, as all the books said leave till very ripe for the best flavour.
Anyhoo, I went out about a fortnight ago to take all that were left on the tree (probably about 4 dozen) to find the tree had literally been stripped bare.
We are sure it was human intervention, not animal, as not a single plum had dropped to the ground - they were just all clean gone.
Very very sad and disappointing.
The tree is near the gate beside the road, and there are lots of dog walkers etc. who walk along the roadside - anyone could have just leaned over the gate and seen them.
The scrumper would have just lifted the latch on the side gate and let themselves in.

I am trying to see this as a positive thing - it has made me and OH realise that our security arrangements for the garden are non existent at the moment.
We are very lucky really that it was just plums - it could equally have been one of our hens, or some of our garden machinery.
OH has already done all the security for the machinery which is now behind a much padlocked and reinforced door.
Next we need to tackle the side gates, and then finally the big gate.
What an awful shame we need to do this. {cry}
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KarenE
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Re: We lost most of our Victoria plums

Post by KarenE »

Oh that is such a pity and who would have the barefaced cheek to waltz into someone else's garden and help themselves! And to strip it bare as well.

As you say though, at least you've only lost this year's plums - losing chickens would be far more heartbreaking, and that has happened to some people so definitely tighten up on your security. Padlock their run at least.

Could you raise the level of your fence, so people can't look over to see what you've got and wouldn't be tempted to climb over? Trellis with something thorny growing up it, say? And a side gate that people can't lean over?
Karen
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elliebear15
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Re: We lost most of our Victoria plums

Post by elliebear15 »

Yes definitely!
The gate is a big 14 foot wide steel field gate. But luckily Phil is an engineer so has some plans for welding an extra section on the top to take it from 4 feet high to 6 feet high. And we are putting some wire mesh on the outside so people can't use the gate bars like ladder rungs.
The side gates are about 4 feet high and very badly made of old wood, so we will probably just make new 6 feet high ones to replace them.
Phil is reluctant to put padlocks on anything as he feels it will be inconvenient for us. But I think he will have to be persuaded - especially as he works away from home sometimes and I am on my own with my two little girls all week yike* scary thought ...
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p.penn
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Re: We lost most of our Victoria plums

Post by p.penn »

I have a friend who loses most of his plums every year....to squirrels }hairout{

He has thought of every way possible to stop them, even netting, but its a huge tree and theyare cunning little blighters
Helen xx

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Mo
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Re: We lost most of our Victoria plums

Post by Mo »

I pick mine early - when coloured but not fully ripe. The flies and wasps spoil them otherwise.
Yours does sound like human intervention. Frustrating.

I can still remember the feeling when a cauliflower that was nearly ready was suddenly gone. Yes, it was an open-plan garden. Yes, we had moved. But until our buyer completed OH was still popping in on his way home from work to mow the lawn and collect mail (and ripe crops).
We even knew who did it. They told us how they'd enjoyed it, and the rhubarb that we'd split and planted out in a row for the next owner.
Maybe your scrumper thought you weren't going to pick them. But that doesn't give him the right to.
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elliebear15
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Re: We lost most of our Victoria plums

Post by elliebear15 »

You have a point Mo, we know that the previous owners of the house didn't bother tending to any plants or even their animals (that's another story) so everything was massively overgrown and out of control.
There are some supposedly fan trained pears which have been allowed to rocket up to about 15 feet high, amongst other gardening disasters.
So I would not be surprised if someone's visit to collect the plums had become an annual treat.
But like you say, that doesn't make it right.
Next year they will find it a lot more difficult to come and take them )grin2(
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