As my collection grows over the next few years and I sell from our home, grown potted plants should I be concerned about theft?

Some of the plants that those old guys out on Long Island had were for sale for $800+ dollars and even smaller plants are worth $20-$50 depending on varity.

My concern is mainly about people coming back when I'm not home. Fair Lawn is safe. We pay allot of taxes and the police are everywhere around here it's seems.

My father had someone break into his greenhouse in Michigan and steal many of the best orchids he had at that time.

Am I crazy? Should I even be concerned about this?

not crazy. i heard things like that happening before.

You could always get a big dog, but he might damage your trees.  Theft is always something to worry about.  No matter what is precious to you, there is always someone else wanting YOUR stuff!

You can have security loaded into your smart phone so you will get a text if something isn't right.  $$$!

We have a couple gates.  Our whole neighborhood each gave $2500 and we raised $56,000 to put gates at the top and bottom of this hill, plus get the road paved.  On top of that, both our driveways are gated, and we have motion sensors.  They drive me nuts because anything can trigger them.  A random bobcat will trigger the thing.  Sigh.

Suzi

We have had newly-planted landscape shrubs and trees stolen right out of the ground.  Many see your hard-earned possesions as a free shopping mall.  Some hurt more than others, and our figs are our kids. 

Surveillence cameras are getting cheaper, and many are wifi if you already have a wireless setup at your home.  Others are stand-alone and can just be plugged in and set up overlooking the area of concern.  You can make it as complicated as you wish, but it needn't be.

Your concern is not paranoia, or at least not unjustified paranoia.

if you have a good police force, having camera and having suspects pix helps. in some area, police won't do anything about it.. even with pix and finger prints. 

I had $200.00 worth of trees stolen from my front porch while they were still boxed up. I kick myself that I didn't bring the box in immediately when it had been delivered. You are not crazy or paranoid.

Have you considered selling at farmers' markets?  Or if you're selling off Craigslist, you can have people meet you at a public location close to your house. It is a PITA, but it will provide some peace of mind.

I'd maybe put a small camera facing towdards the street near your home, or wherever you think someone would park, that way you could hopefully get a license plate,

Actually I've considered bringing them to

http://patersonfarmersmarket.com/find-us.php

There are a lot of small NJ farmers bringing their crops there to sell.

5 of my oldest (40+ heal old) Bonsais were stoles last year, Police wrote to me with apology saying their estimates were around 35,000 dollars. They never found out who the thief was. I provided them with pictures when they were happy at my garden. All they could do is file them and see when and where they can be seen again, if EVER. My guess was it was from neighborhood gardeners who had buyers already, it it must've been a quick transaction. 
So, I don't blame you for raising some concerns about the safety of your older or even younger fig plants...just be prepared. I'd put security cameras starting the driveways, parking area and towards the plants so you can see who parked with what vehicle and where they went and come from back to their cars.

I thought about this a long time ago, I work in a gun store and have plenty of floor models :).  The guns and my girlfriend's pit bull plus the trail camera's are really all I need. It's a shame that we have to think this way but it's reality these days.

I agree farmers market and meeting people somewhere else are the way to go. We live in a pretty safe place but I still wouldn't let strange people come to our home. The way things are nowdays you may be putting your family at risk. They don't always wait for you to leave.

Over the years I've had plant related things stolen from the yard... an orange tree was striped of all fruits, someone came into the garden one year and harvested all my winter squashes, and I've had bags of new planter mix taken.

I know of other garden thefts that have happened over the years to others as well, including ornamental pots with plants right on the front steps taken, entire trees of avocados striped/stolen, and newly planted landscape plants in my parents yard just ripped out and taken over night.

If it's easy to carry, you run a risk.

Put some gps tracking chips randomly in pots, if they are stolen u can catch the creeps!

I had forgotten I had numerous squash stolen also. I had isolated and hand pollinated them so I could share the seeds. From then on I decided that I would scratch their variety name on them so they wouldn't appeal to someone for a decoration.

oh... milehighgirl remind me of this guy who had $1,000 bike. he used to have his bike stolen all the time, but no one took his ugly old one. so he had his new bike painted really ugly. never gotten that one stolen.

Pete, this may have been his motivation... SNL did a luxury car commercial spoof in 1993 for the Chameleon XLE.  I couldn't find it on youtube, but here is a link to it somewhere else:

http://www.break.com/video/ugc/chamelion-xle-383947

all sorts to fill up the freeways, check this one

We planned last year to put up a chain link fence at the end of March.

A friend kept a potted palm on her front steps. One day last summer when she came home from shopping there was an empty spot on the steps where her tree was.
People will steal anything if it's not bolted down, even bolts won't stop a person if they want it bad enough.
Go to flea markets and farmers markets.

I had no idea plant theft was such a problem.  Damn shame.

Twice; I knew I had a fig that I tried to hunt down.
After 1-3 futile searches, I started to think about
some guy with a 'black-ninga' suit visit.

In the end, I did find both figs in a remote backyard spot... 

It's a big problem in a lot of places.  Garden Web has tons of threads on the subject.  People taking fruit from their trees, people taking potted plants, and then it goes to have you ever stolen a cutting or taken something lying on the floor at HD?  Robbed the trash?  One man's trash is another man's treasure, IMHO, BUT stealing a potted plant is pure and simple theft!

Suzi

Hi,
simply keep your plants in big enough pots ... easy trick ...
At my garden, around I have rose plants with thorns 10 per centimeter and some thick ones - they are rare the ones that dare cross the fence.
For now only one did - I saw later the foot prints at the fence -, but he didn't get back - perhaps he lost his new pants to one of my rose plant ... A scratch at your pants is never cool .
The thing is then not to attract to much the sight of the others. I always tell my kid to shut up - kids, have the tendency to scream "hey dad look there, there is a ..."
I have peach trees, holly and rose plant at sight from the fence, and all my figtrees are hidden behind on the other side.
Sometimes peace is just a matter of good planning.
As well, I never let ripe fruits (peach, plums, cherries ...) hang on the trees for long,
and last but not the least, I have 3 ways to get to my garden and I make sure to use another one almost each time.
Perhaps, I need to buy a ninja suit as well :) - but to be honest not for now for my great surprise ...
Some get the tomatoes, and onions stolen !