Aggg. I mostly need to vent, although ideas are welcome.
My neighbors children run wild - and are more than happy to play in any dirt or soil I put outside. I'm an apartment dweller, so our doorsteps are about a yard apart. In order to grow most of my plants, they really really need to be put outside into the very small square of sun I get.
I have a small desk out there, which I thought would be safe from their reach - but obviously not. The other day, they dumped out one of my yogurt cups of seedlings. I don't know what to do - not enough light inside to grow things well. But anything outside will get destroyed.
That has got to be terrible, rose! I know that I'd be pretty ticked off with some parents. Just because your kids live in an apartment doesn't mean they can terrorize the tennants.
This might not work for you, but it works for my kids. I let them pick out some seeds at walmart and we came home and put them in cups that I had let them decorate. Now, my youngest has her own zinnias that she can torment all she wants, while leaving mine alone and my eldest has some impatiens that she can peek at, without me having to worry about the safety of my seedlings. Of course, you could just pick out a packet of seeds for them, share yours, or do whatever tickles your fancy. I was really careful to put their name on each cup--so there can be no fighting over who's is who's.
This really helped them keep their little fingers out of all of my plants. Maybe it would work for you?
Can you put up one of those little fences, to kind of mark off "your" area? Then tell the kiddos that they can't cross the fence...and if they do, have a little chat with their parents.
I'd have a chat with their parents anyway....in a nice way.....I'd start out with something like "I really hate to bother you, but I was just wondering if you could talk to little xxxxxxx about not touching my things."
Heh. Yah, unfortunately I'm pretty shy, and uncomfortable talking to their parents. Their mother just sets the kids outside, shuts the door, and they do whatever they like.
I've considered getting a baby-gate to gate off my area. I might actually do it too.
I'm hoping they'll leave actual plants alone (the stuff they mess with is usually just dirt and rocks, and in the one case, a cup of seedlings that looks like dirt unless you look closely. I'll probably test this theory with a large plant that won't kill me to have destroyed.
It's not hopeless, just not something I want to deal with either. On the plus side, a all-day garage-sale trip landed me some adorable pots!
The other alternative is one of the new CFS lights. They fit in any lamp and will give you the light you need to grow your plants. And they save electricity. So it's a win win deal. I live in an apartment too. And I know what you mean. My outside stuff gets damaged or destroyed often. But I keep putting it out there. I just can't resist gardening.
Why not buy grow light and be safe and have plants in the house under it.You can get them just like a light bulb. they fit any lamp,i use one here and i also get the under the cabinet kind to but I take the light out of it and buy the long grow bulb and put it in .It work nice.
Well, I ended up setting up a florescent lamp. It packs a pretty good punch, with 2 4-foot T8 bulbs. I used it because it was in the back of the car I was borrowing from my sister, and only needed hooks to hang from and second bulb.
I just got it set up yesterday, so I don't know how well it will work out. The bulb I had already was a "cool white" or something - not the best for plants. The second is some sort of "full spectrum" light - although I checked, and it doesn't really have a full continuous spectrum. Hopefully it will work well. I'll let you all know how it goes.
I am definitely one to avoid confrontations (shy?), too, but sometimes you have to give other people a chance to be nice or change (even if they don't) and hiding yourself and your plants away inside is a bad life strategy. This is experience talking. Gird your loins, as it were, and talk to the parents. They may or may not do anything, what they do may not be what you want, but if they just put the kids outside (what ages are these kids?) they may not even be aware there is a problem. Next (or first), talk to the kids. They may never have been told not to touch other people's stuff. Tell them what you have, explain that the cups of dirt are seeds trying to grow, ... If you and they are going to live in those same appartments for any time, don't let this go. It will build. Other infringements will happen. You have the right to your outside space.
I feel your pain, we go to work and come back at 6pm. By then all the rugrats have had their chance to brake my clay pots, step on my impatients or rip some of the sunflowers that i have on my front yard. I blame the parents, kids need to be taught to keep away from other neighbor's yards. if it wasnt for the mailman i would gladly lock my gate. i dont want to know what will happen when my peonies and dhalias open and school closes :(. i would go with a fence; and when you put it up tell the parents in a decent way that you have some seeds that need sun to develop and you had trouble in the past due to their kids touching them, to please ask their children to keep out!!!
If you haven't got all the things you want, be grateful for the things you don't have that you don't want.
My grandmother told me about a lady whose neighbor's kids kept throwing eggs at the lady's car. The lady said to the kids, "If you'll bring me those eggs instead of throwing them, I'll make you the best cookies (using the eggs) you've ever had". The kids did, and never egged the lady's car again.
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