Thief stole more than a pumpkin from Morristown’s community garden

This pumpkin was stolen and the gardeners want it back. Photo courtesy of Maureen Denman
This pumpkin was stolen and the gardeners want it back. Photo courtesy of Maureen Denman
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This pumpkin was stolen and the gardeners want it back. Photo courtesy of Maureen Denman
This pumpkin was stolen and the gardeners want it back. Photo courtesy of Maureen Denman

Someone stole a pumpkin from the Early Street Community Garden on Labor Day, and the gardeners want it back. No questions asked.

Whoever made off with this 20-pounder took more than a plump gourd.  He or she robbed the garden of a powerful memorial, a living tribute to the late Mark Tobler.

Mark, who died of melanoma last year at 47,  grew a 400-pound pumpkin in 2011 that symbolized the community garden’s enormous potential.

Monday’s pumpkin was filched from the Infinity Memorial Garden, a patch that was dedicated last spring by Mark’s widow, Marianne. The plot includes a sign along with a large laminated photo of Mark with his daughter, Alexandra.

Marianne Tobler at the Infinity Memorial Garden, dedicated to her late husband, Mark. Photo courtesy of Maureen Denman
Marianne Tobler at the Infinity Memorial Garden, dedicated to her late husband, Mark. Photo courtesy of Maureen Denman

“He meant so much to so many people,” said Maureen Denman, a trustee of Grow It Green Morristown who helped Mark cultivate the soil of his pumpkin patch.

Twice a year they hauled manure from Seaton Hackney Stables to the garden.

Maureen invested great effort this summer nurturing the pumpkin that has gone missing.

Pumpkins don’t like rain, and a soggy June led to seven re-plantings of this one, she said.

Tim Henry and Maureen Denman at the Early Street Community Garden. Photo courtesy of Maureen Denman
Tim Henry and Maureen Denman at the Early Street Community Garden. Photo courtesy of Maureen Denman

Maureen last saw the pumpkin around 1 pm on Labor Day. She said this is the first such incident in the five-year history of the community garden.

The garden is surrounded by a fence with a locked gate; better fencing is among renovations that are anticipated to follow Morristown’s recent purchase of the almost-one-acre property.

Residents of houses on Early Street used to keep an eye on the garden, Maureen said. But those homes have been demolished to make way for the Latitude apartment complex, part of the Speedwell Avenue redevelopment.

Maureen said the pumpkin theft rekindled childhood memories of the burglary of her family’s home.

“It’s such a violation. To me, it’s very sad… It’s so creepy.”

Photo of Mark and Aly Tobler at Infinity Memorial Garden in Morristown. Photo courtesy of Maureen Denman
Photo of Mark and Alexandra Tobler at Infinity Memorial Garden in Morristown. Photo courtesy of Maureen Denman

Although the purloined pumpkin was only about the size of a bowling ball, it had a shot at eclipsing Mark Tobler’s local record.

Pumpkins can grow 30- to 50 pounds a day in the weeks before Halloween.

Unfortunately, once severed, they cannot be reattached to the vine.  Still, the gardeners want this pumpkin back.

It’s never going to set any records. But it’s way too big for the person who sneaked off with it.

Mark Tobler and Jim McCready with 400-pound pumpkin at second annual Morristown Pumpkin Illumination, a presentation of the Arts Council of the Morris Area and the Mayo Performing Arts Center. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Mark Tobler and Jim McCready with 400-pound pumpkin in 2011 at second annual Morristown Pumpkin Illumination, a presentation of the Arts Council of the Morris Area and the Mayo Performing Arts Center. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Christian Schuller video about Mark Tobler’s 400-pound pumpkin:

Giant Pumpkin Harvest from Christian Schuller on Vimeo.

4 COMMENTS

  1. How sad that others continue to be so thoughtless. Bur the story reminded me of how wonderful gardening can be, nuturing not just the stomach the soul.

  2. thanks for being such good gardners, I grow tomatoes and pumpkins in my shop in Morristown and people keep picking my tomatoes and pumpkins also. we have to educate the public these are our gardens and not the towns free garden, I catch people all the time picking and look at me …… PUMPKINS AND TOMATOES CAN NOT LAY IN WATER, THEY GO BAD AND ROT……WE SPEND TIME GROWING and taking care of our crop, thanks for the info, have a great harvest…I teach kids to cook healthy and green..kidsgreenkitchen.net..chef melody

  3. That is so sad and I want to thank Maureen and Tim for the work they’ve done creating and maintaining the memorial garden. It continues to be a beautiful thing .

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