Roof top gardening etiquette?
So I'm new to gardening and have two plants on the shared roofdeck. My first time ever growing anything. One is a tomato plant that I bought when it was tiny and it's doing well (yay, 1 tomato!) and the other is a hot pepper plant that I'm growing from seeds. Both plants are in pots marked with my apartment number, although the small pepper pot is only marked underneath. (note: no other pots that are up there are marked w/apt numbers, but many of them appeared to be uncared for.)
These hot peppers have sprouted and are well on their way. I started them in a small pot and there's a bunch of them growing close together. I have plans to move them to larger pots at some point once they're larger.
On Monday, I went up there to water and noticed that someone had pulled some of the tiny plants out of my pot and added them to several other pots on the deck.
Now, to me, this isn't cool and I consider it stealing. However, maybe there's some kind of roofdeck/shared space/gardening etiquette that I don't know about? Is this person thinking he/she is doing my plants a favor, in the sense that she's clearing up my pot, giving the plants more room? Or, is it just assumed that you can take each others small plants if there's plenty?
I don't want to jump to conclusions and leave a passive aggressive note to leave my plants alone, but I don't really want someone else to garden for me, unless I have the opportunity to learn from them. Any idea what this could be about?
here's a pic of my pepper plants (before someone picked some out):
These hot peppers have sprouted and are well on their way. I started them in a small pot and there's a bunch of them growing close together. I have plans to move them to larger pots at some point once they're larger.
On Monday, I went up there to water and noticed that someone had pulled some of the tiny plants out of my pot and added them to several other pots on the deck.
Now, to me, this isn't cool and I consider it stealing. However, maybe there's some kind of roofdeck/shared space/gardening etiquette that I don't know about? Is this person thinking he/she is doing my plants a favor, in the sense that she's clearing up my pot, giving the plants more room? Or, is it just assumed that you can take each others small plants if there's plenty?
I don't want to jump to conclusions and leave a passive aggressive note to leave my plants alone, but I don't really want someone else to garden for me, unless I have the opportunity to learn from them. Any idea what this could be about?
here's a pic of my pepper plants (before someone picked some out):
Comments
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Sounds like someone is cruisin' for a bruisin.' No one should be touching your plants without asking you.
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La propriété, c'est le vol!
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That's bullshit!
You should mark the pots that they were moved to with your apartment number ;-) -
Ha! Well, I don't think anyone is cruising for a brusing. It's just plants after all. Strikes me as strange to touch stuff that isn't mine, so I'm figuring I have GOT to be missing something here.
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def not cool
add a pound of salt to all of the other pots. That should do the trick
btw, you totally just got me into wanting to grow pepper plants. What pepper is the closest to crushed red pepper that you buy in the shakers?
I was thinking chilipeppers. Also, how difficult is it to do and how long do they take to fully grow?
edit:
nice avatar. The princess bride rocked -
I would leave a note! That soooo not cool. How many people are in your building can you find out who did it? Eitherway, place a note saying not to touch your plants.
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not only is that rude but it's odd. why would someone do that?
they want your plants? they think there's pot clutter?
wtf? -
FWIW- your plants looked tight in there- they did need to be spread out. Just sayin. Maybe your neighbor will say, "hey, I did this for you- enjoy!"
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Don't leave a nasty note. I always start out friendly. Maybe a something along the lines of "My planters blend in with the abandoned ones but they are in fact planted and being cared for by me." I'd rather try to talk to folks in person in this situation, since notes can quickly go downhill with misunderstandings.
That's definitely not cool, though.
They do look crowded in that pot. Maybe you have a neighbor who meant well. A wacky plant lover who thought they were too crowded and knew some other pots weren't in use? Ask around. -
Definitely too many peppers in that pot....they probably thought they were doing you a favor. But yes, they should have asked first.
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[quote="hitokiri"]
I was thinking chilipeppers. Also, how difficult is it to do and how long do they take to fully grow?
Peppers aren't too tough. They ripen like tomatoes or eggplants, really. It depends on the kind of pepper you have for the exact growing time. My dad has a frying pepper that looks almost fully formed on one of his plants already, but that's pretty early for here. They come ripe in the summer and fall and will turn green first. Color is the last part of ripening. -
Seeing the replies, I'm guessing the person was trying to help me out. Yeah, they are squished in there. Told ya I was new to this! To me, they look too fragile to move, but he/she did it so I guess I can spread them out some more. I have an extra pot to move them to.
I never see anyone up there tending to the various plants that are there. I rather not leave a note. I hope they don't pick the tomato off from my other plant!
I am going to insist on harvesting all of the peppers though regardless of them being in other pots! I have hot sauce to make!
hitokiri, I'm new to this but so far it's been pretty easy. Peppers are hearty plants from what my father told me. I did plant these too late from seed, should have started indoors, but I may get lucky and see peppers by the end of Summer. They like lots of sun and apparently I can take them indoors once it gets cold. Don't know what variety is the crush red pepper flakes. -
DD - that person was shady. There's no excuse for going into your plants and taking some to grow elsewhere. Every single pepper that comes out in their pots is yours, and I hope you take them as they grow. I would say something......but that's just me....I would likely do it in person. Like "hey, I'm trying to figure out who took peppers out of my pot....was it you?" And then "WTF!? Asshole! You don't take fucking peppers out of somebody's pot...they're not yours. Didn't your mama ever teach you any fucking manners?".
I'm just sayin' -
Flexichick wrote: DD - that person was shady. There's no excuse for going into your plants and taking some to grow elsewhere. Every single pepper that comes out in their pots is yours, and I hope you take them as they grow. I would say something......but that's just me....I would likely do it in person. Like "hey, I'm trying to figure out who took peppers out of my pot....was it you?" And then "WTF!? Asshole! You don't take fucking peppers out of somebody's pot...they're not yours. Didn't your mama ever teach you any fucking manners?".
You crack me up!
I'm just sayin'
You best believe I am taking every last pepper that my little babies produce!
I could "reclaim" my little ones and put them in their own pots. Those of you who are garden-savvy, do I need to have just one plant per pot or can I have a few in a medium-sized pot? -
Man, all of this is just making me want to run home, grab my free pots and reclaim my poor little ones!
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If you know what type of pepper it is, you can find out online how much space they need. I'd say that 2 plants in the pot you have above looks right, but I'm a novice.
Let me know if you need to borrow my crutches for the Pepper Smackdown.;
I forgot who posted it, but somebody had put a bunch of nice plants in front of their house and caught somebody digging them up. The person said "God made the plants" as their excuse for stealing them. I'd have lost my damn mind right there. -
Flexichick wrote:
The great Pepper Smackdown of 09. Yeah, it's gonna happen. Somebody's going down!!
Let me know if you need to borrow my crutches for the Pepper Smackdown.
Ugh, really? That's horrible. Wow.
I forgot who posted it, but somebody had put a bunch of nice plants in front of their house and caught somebody digging them up. The person said "God made the plants" as their excuse for stealing them. I'd have lost my damn mind right there. -
Yah. God also made my fists to beat the shit out of anybody who steals my plants :-)
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doublediamond wrote: Ha! Well, I don't think anyone is cruising for a brusing. It's just plants after all. Strikes me as strange to touch stuff that isn't mine, so I'm figuring I have GOT to be missing something here.
All you're missing here is taking without asking is done by A-holes. It starts with "just plants" and the next thing you know they are opening up your mail and stealing your phone bill information. -
doublediamond wrote: [quote=Flexichick]DD - that person was shady. There's no excuse for going into your plants and taking some to grow elsewhere. Every single pepper that comes out in their pots is yours, and I hope you take them as they grow. I would say something......but that's just me....I would likely do it in person. Like "hey, I'm trying to figure out who took peppers out of my pot....was it you?" And then "WTF!? Asshole! You don't take fucking peppers out of somebody's pot...they're not yours. Didn't your mama ever teach you any fucking manners?".
You crack me up!
I'm just sayin'
You best believe I am taking every last pepper that my little babies produce!
I could "reclaim" my little ones and put them in their own pots. Those of you who are garden-savvy, do I need to have just one plant per pot or can I have a few in a medium-sized pot?
I'm no expert on container gardening, but looking at your pot, I wouldn't put more than one pepper plant in there. I think if you had a decent-sized planter you could plant your peppers with some basil or cilantro, but generally speaking, my guess is that pepper plants would need there own pot. In the ground, it's recommended that you plant them a foot apart, if that gives you some perspective. -
Subject: Wrong for multiple reasons
I'm new to gardening too, and I've been reading up on planting veggies in containers. Generally when you thin seedlings, you should be careful not to disturb the roots of the plants you're leaving. If the plants are clustered tightly like that, you can cut the extras at the base instead of pulling them out and ripping the roots of their neighbors. Whoever went at your plants may have set their growth back some--they're going to need time to recover from the trauma (seriously). They may seem to stop growing for a while, but as long as they still look healthy don't worry; they're just focused on repairing the roots. Same thing happens after you transplant them into a bigger pot, btw: they need time to adjust to new home. So you may want to hold off a bit before doing that--they've already had a bad week!
I'd be pissed at your neighbor, personally. First, for assuming anything on the roof is fair game. Second, because it's YOUR decision on which ones get to stay and which get sacrificed (survival of the fittest, after all). Third, for assuming the culled plants are theirs? I mean, if they were trying to do you a favor, wouldn't they have left the plants they pulled and repotted alongside yours?
I may be extra touchy because I noticed today that the wind broke the stem of one of my tomato plants. But seriously, how about putting a sign in front of their pots: IS THIS A COMMUNITY GARDEN? -
you could poison the leaves of the plant ...that way they would get sick if they ate them.
At your trial, you could state that the plants were strictly ornamental, never meant to be eaten by anyone.
...you were completely unaware of prior thefts of this kind.
...you applied the poison to keep away rats. -
Thanks, spark & Flo for the gardening advice. Spark, I do have a few that are really tightly clustered, didn't know I'd have to cut them. Thanks.
All this rain we've been having has been making my pepper babies and my one tomato plant very happy though. I've been miserable but they're happy!
whynot_31, I want to eat them too, so that may not work! :-) -
so, DD, no run-ins with the pepper poacher yet?
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Holy crap Flexichick and y'all! I went up there a few minutes ago after getting home from work and all the pots that had my pilfered peppers are all next to mine!
Whether this is a coincidence or he/she reads this blog, this is great!! The right thing has been done.
Probably was afraid of the Pepper Smackdown! -
hmmm.....interesting....keep us posted.
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Flexichick wrote: hmmm.....interesting....keep us posted.
Tell me about it. Why move it now unless he/she is reading this?? -
so...i'm confused...the pots are next to your pots, but do they have other plants in them as well? their plants mixed with your peppers.
the whole thing is weird.
if you are reading this, Pepper Poacher, don't mess with DD or I will come over there. -
Flexichick wrote: so...i'm confused...the pots are next to your pots, but do they have other plants in them as well? their plants mixed with your peppers.
One of them only has my peppers, two of them. Then there are three peppers in a long rectangular box with other plants and two peppers in another large pot with another small plant.
the whole thing is weird.
if you are reading this, Pepper Poacher, don't mess with DD or I will come over there.
strange. If anything changes, I'll report. Meanwhile, my tomato plant is thriving and he/she has so far left that alone. -
oh, she better not touch the tomatoes! There absolutely will be a smackdown if the tomatoes are touched!!!
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