Recently, a huge disappointment made headlines in the r/gardening community: a gardener's lovingly tended plants became the victim of a neighbor during an argument.
The original poster shared a photo of a modest garden box stuffed with the remains of green peppers, jalapenos, garlic, onions and lettuce that had once thrived, but just as the peppers were just beginning to flower, the garden had been carelessly trampled.
Photo credit: Reddit
“Today two adults started fighting inside a box in the garden,” wrote the heartbroken gardener. “The fight was caught on camera. Can any of these boxes be repaired? And how much would it cost to replace them?”
“The chilli plants had just started to flower and they got trampled on in droves,” they continued. “It almost made me cry.”
The Reddit user elaborated on the heartbreaking situation in a follow-up comment: “We will be filing charges. I had the incident on video and was processing it from 7:30-11pm last night.”
For both novice gardeners and seasoned growers, it's heartbreaking to see all that hard work and perseverance go to waste. Many of us find comfort, satisfaction, and nourishment in home-grown food, but this Reddit user had that feeling snatched away by a pointless argument.
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“It's not just a few plants that were damaged. This incident demonstrates a lack of respect for other people's property, the environment we share, and the living things we are meant to nurture.”
However, all was not lost: the tenacious r/gardening community offered encouragement and advice to the discouraged original poster.
“I think you can actually repot chillies as long as the main stem and roots are intact,” one commenter reassured.
Another commented, “At least it's still pretty early in the season! Let's plant some kidney beans in the middle!”
“Sounds like you have limited space – try potted onions,” a third commenter offered some sage advice. “All gardening is trial and error, but don't give up – once you get one plant to bear fruit the blues will fly away and it will keep growing.”
With support, persistence, and a passion for making the world greener, this gardener, and all of us, can continue to nurture life and community, one seedling at a time.
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