Pineapples under video surveillance! That's what the signs said in the neighbor's yard.
The signs sit in front of a beautifully landscaped urban garden with giant spreading trees and spiky plants in the shade. We thought the sign might say, "Yard of the Month," or "Beware of Dog" or something like that, but no - this was much more Florida and we had to take a picture.
We don't blame them - it takes 2-3 years to grow a pineapple, and a last-minute thievery would be maddening.
I live in the city and had a problem a few months ago with somebody uprooting one of my planters on my patio. So I did what any normal techie would do and went out and bought a Mac mini (I had been wanting anyways) and set up a wireless Axis camera to record the patio 24/7 to the mac mini. It works great and I have not had a problem since. The camera is hidden so I didn't get it as a deterrent - I just wanted to catch whoever it was in the act!
view brianest's profile
My husband and I were talking about this last night. We want to have a full fledged garden next year, but we are afraid that someone in the neighborhood may try and poison us.
(That may sound ludicrious, but we live in a not very good neighborhood and we call the police constantly and everyone knows it. We have been threatened, and this would be an easy way to get at us.)
We were thinking putting up cameras, but realized that a) we wouldn't be able to watch all the time and b) the cameras would probably be stolen. We are just going to wait for the neighborhood to get better to start a garden.
Oh the joys of being a snitch.
view Kassie's profile
My camera is inside so it can't be stolen. Plus if they stole the cameras you would have them recorded stealing the cameras. Maybe they'd be smart enough to wear a mask, but I wouldn't let that stop you. They make housings for the cameras that make them weatherproof and tamper resistant. Our neighborhood isn't the greatest either, but I've had more problems with the yuppies that I live with than the low income housing neighbors.
view brianest's profile
We've considered cameras. Several neighbors have fruit trees in their front yards and there's an old lady who moved in recently who strips the trees of fruit. The old bat doesn't even wait for them to be ripe. Last winter, she took every.single.orange off the young tree we share with our next door neighbor.
No one cares if you pick a couple of oranges/tangerines/ peaches, etc. as you walk by, but do NOT take them all!
view A Nony Mous's profile
In SF, I made an effort to add some plant life to the outside of my apartment building. First, someone stole my ficus but weirdly, instead of purloining the whole plant/pot combo, they uprooted the tree and took just it. Then my geraniums went, but this time the pretty ceramic pot they were planted in went, too. Secretly, I was sort of relieved because I am horrible at caring for plants and was either feeling guilty for neglecting them, or trying to bring them back from the brink. Hopefully they found a better home!
view J's profile