Those who steward the horticulture program's garden at Olds College say the harvest came too soon; by thieves who picked up to 500 pounds of vegetables that were grown specifically for students.
Horticultural technologist Wilma Vanden Dool says the stolen produce includes potatoes, carrots and beets. She says the illegal harvest occurred during two separate thefts: once on Aug. 30 and a second time over the long weekend.
Vanden Dool says the thieves left beer cans, shovels and knives. Onions were also unearthed but left behind.
She does not believe this was a crime of desperation.
"For the amount they stole, they're not hungry. Unless they've got a 20-kid family," she says.
It took her more than 10 weeks to seed, cultivate, weed and water the garden, ensuring crops would be ready for more than 30 first-year students who will start class in October.
Those first-year horticulture students were to learn about the different types of vegetables, how to produce, harvest and store them. In November, second-year students were to turn that bounty into value-added products, learning skills like canning, pickling and cooking. Many of those goods are sold during the weekly greenhouse sales, with proceeds feeding back into the program.
The garden is located east of the hotel, adjacent to Highway 27. The types of plants are diverse and not found in stores. For example, Vanden Dool says there are 14 types of potatoes.
"How many times have you seen purple and yellow carrots," she asks.
Signs are posted stating that the plots are for research and educational purposes and that harvesting is prohibited.
Instructor Kim Wickwire says she has never seen a theft like this one in her 27 years at the college. Those vegetables were there to give students hands-on experience.
"To watch them pull a potato out of the ground, look at the size of it and go, holy crap," Wickwire says.
Replacements will need to be purchased for the second-year students.
As well, Vanden Dool works twice a week with Horizon School students at the garden. They planted some of the potatoes but she says half of theirs are gone.
"For the amount they stole, they're not hungry. Unless they've got a 20-kid family." WILMA VANDEN DOOL, horticultural technologist
