A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 My Veggies!!!! :(

I wanted to share with someone who might understand.

I came out this morning and the people who were mowing the condo next door (people they hired not the neighbor) destroyed several of my veggies.

They were trimming their trees and many branches fell all over and snapped a lot of my plants.

- All my tomatoes are gone. They had sooo many tomatoes on them and now they are all snapped and broken and yellow. They were healthy plants!!!!

And my watermelon plant that was actually growing a teeny tiny one is done, along with many other things

I grew all this stuff from seed and its the first time I have ever tried to grow and actually was succeeding, I just can't believe all my work has been ruined.

Sorry I will stop my pity party shortly.

Marina-

A picture I took of them right before they were destroyed

Marina, I am so sorry this happened.
I wish there was something I could say to help you feel better.
I am sending cyber hugs and support ! Gee, I was upset just reading of what happened.
PLEASE re-plant and let us know all that is going on.
We are all here for you !

Deborah,

Thanks for not thinking I was silly to be so upset. I honestly did cry I would love to replant but I don't think I have seen veggie plants for sale or seeds in a week or two... plus I think its too late. No homegrown tomatoes for me ;(

Marina, What can we say.....would love to give you a hug.

All that hard work...and there's nothing wrong with a good cry, I would too. In fact I feel like crying with you right now.

Marina, I'd have cried too.
In fact, maybe this will comfort you a bit. It's silly but I can't help it.
My favorite show is "Everybody Loves Raymond". I buy each new season's DVD's as they come out.
Well, there's one show where Frank digs up his wife's cherished roses.
She screams, "My roses !" in anguish. I can't bear that scene, because it hurts my heart even though I know it's fiction, it's acting.
I have tears in my eyes just typing this.
We all really care about your loss. I am upset about what has happened to your veggies.
I believe that non-gardeners just do not understand all that our gardens mean to us.
As for me, when I buy a perennial, it's a dear friend for life.
So I understand and wish there was something I could do for you.
WE ALL CARE !

Marina, try to get those broken tomato plants into water. Grab some buckets or something, or put them in soil and water well. There's just a chance that you can get a few ripe tomatoes. Tomato plants reroot easily, but I don't know about those big guys. Another thing you can do is cut some branches and root those. You'll get new starts easily. Please try, you were doing so well. I would have been out there with a shotgun if someone had done that to me!

Wow, Marina sorry to hear that. You may be suprised though, the tomato plant may come back or you could try to root a cutting or two from it.

Find out who it was that did it and call them. Those people would have hell to pay if they did it to me. Can you snap some pics of the damage?

That is so horrible Marina! I'd be out there letting few individuals know exactly how I felt and how my plants were feeling too. Don't feel like you are overreacting. I would've done a lot more than just cry! You might give the company a call and see if they will replace (or pay for) what they've damaged. I'd definately take pics like johnCT recommended--just in case. I don't know your season length, but you may be able to reseed some watermelons...

Sarah

Guys, great advice ! Marina, can you try it?

Try rooting, I mean?

Thanks to all for their kind suggestions and advice. I will try to snap some pictures but the plants are all over the yard and all shriveled up and basically just butchered. I saved one little green tomato

The company is well aware because they were standing outside my fense staring at the damage. They told me they'd get me plants next season if I want or a few pounds of tomatoes this year.

I wonder if I can locate plants if I could replant. I think its waaay to late for seeds and there were no branched intact enough for use :*

Definitely too late for seed, but you should definitely be able to find some mature plants at the nurseries or Lowes/HD.

You might check with Lowes, Wal Mart or a farm supply. They often have larger plants available even this late, or they do around here. This is just horrible, I'm so sorry. It's not too late to try, I get lots of tomatoes in the fall if the heat eases up later in the summer, they can produce right up until frost.
By the way, I wouldn't settle for a few plants or a few tomatoes. This is a lot like a painting you've worked on all season or anything else you put your whole heart into, and a lot of sweat, to boot.

I will have to check Lowes for the plants. The home depot has nothing or dead looking ones.

Heres a picture of the most intact tomato plant. A lot of its leaves yellowed...should I cut them? I have some hope for this one.

Exactly, Peppereater, exactly..... Our gardens are our art !

I've known some who add a little roundup to the fertilizer bottle on the end of their hose when spraying, by coincidence, on the neighbors property. Watching a 600 feet of hedgeline turn brown for the season in july is a sight.

Myself, I talk to people when something looks like it 'could' go awry, prevention, and then watch 'em like a hawk standing there the whole time, keep a video camera in hand and they really start to sweat.

I'd take them up on the plant replacement for THIS season if you can find them, or next year too. Just get it in writing from someone who has the authority to make such desicions.

Good Luck.

Woodchuck, our complex is painting the fences and buildings next month.
Believe me, every plant (all in containers), the patio furniture and even the hose are all coming in the house for a few hours. Before the painters arrive.
Last time, when I was new here, the painters splashed my beautiful plants. NEVER AGAIN.
Why do so many people see plants as no big deal?
They are to us. And they are OUR possessions as well.

Normally I am out there watching...but they came at like 7 am and I was asleep when I came out and realized there were people chopping trees I ran right out!

You shoulda smacked them with a hammer.

Around me, the mindset is,"my farm(100's of acres) means more than your 'garden'". So when they are spraying roundup from a 30' boom, I can only hope the wind is in my favor or say goodbye to my non-roundup-proof plants.

So I am fighting a losing battle, even though I do this so my family eats as high quality veggies as can be grown here, my effort, time, and small money have no value to the farmers.

The wildlife have it worse yet somedays, I saw someone swerve FOR the woodchuck on the road, and drive over it.

It's a basic yet interesting mindset.

What goes around, comes around, and these types you've described, Woodchuck, are gonna get theirs...
Marina, I can just see you running outside, half asleep. What a way to wake up.
As I've said, we all care.

Maybe it's just the photo, but that looks ok to me, does it even have some tomatoes on it??

I felt so bad reading what happened to you. I started all my plants from seeds for the first time too and totally feel a special "bond" with them......I did have an accident with my first watermelon plants, they were still indoors and doing SOOOOOO beautifully, and my husband accidentally knocked them off the light shelf, and although they survived, they didnt survive when I put them out in the garden.

Thanks The tomatoes are on branches that are on the ground around it. The plant has a few lower branches and a cracked twig, many of its leaves are now yellow

I am definetly going to water the remains of the tomatoes and see if I can't breathe some air into them. I also planted the most intact branched into the ground to the top leaves and watered a lot.

So cross your fingers fo me

And thank you so much for you kind words.

Marina,
I'm in total agreeance to what Woodchuck first wrote
and John first wrote...

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
I'd be whoppin' mad...
I'd be tellin' all of them folks exactly what
I thought of the whole darn mess and what
they WILL BE DOING TO CORRECT THE SITUATION...

I would definately check with your local Wally~World,
ours still has plants out..

And heck you just may be surprised if you did start them from seed,
you just never know...

Hope you get to save some of those tomato plants....