The thing some people look forward to the most when buying their own house, is being part of a community.
As nothing will excite them more than hosting block parties and welcoming their neighbors into their home at any given moment, just like on classic 50s and 60s sitcoms.
For some, however, the biggest joy of buying your own home is finally having land and property of your own, that you don’t need to share with others.
As a result, these same people don’t take kindly to people trespassing on their property, intentionally or accidentally.
Redditor Necessary_Context896 recently noticed an unusual growth on their property, which they soon had their landscapers dig up.
The original poster (OP) was later informed by their neighbor that said growth was, in fact, something their neighbor had been working on for some time, and demanded the OP replace.
Something the OP didn’t feel obligated to do, seeing as their neighbor was using their property. without permission.
Having some doubts about their decision, the OP took to the subReddit “Am I The A**hole” (AITA), where they asked fellow Redditors:
“AITA for ripping up my neighbor’s vegetable garden?”
The OP explained why their neighbor was so furious after the OP did some recent landscaping work:
“I own a house that is close to other homes.”
“Each home is 10 or so ft apart, but we all have back yards.”
“Recently I noticed a tomato garden growing on the side of my home.”
“The back of my house sticks out a little more than the front []o that kind of shape and the back goes right up to my property line.”
“The garden was on the side of the smaller part of my house, but still technically on my yard.”
“Then there’s my neighbors driveway, and their house.”
“I just bought the house a little under a year ago, and don’t know much about plants, so wasn’t sure if it had to be planted or just grew on its own.”
“I ignored it, but later sent a text to my landscaper about a few vines on that side of my home growing up my house.”
“The landscaper came and removed everything, including the tomato plants.”
“I’m not home when the landscaper comes, so just saw later that day.”
“A few hours later, the neighbor came to my door upset that I removed them and asking for me to buy them organic tomatoes for the rest of the season or replace their plants with mature ones from Home Depot.”
“I told them their plants shouldn’t have been on my yard, and I have a landscaping sign in my yard, it shouldn’t be my responsibility to make sure my landscaper doesn’t take out plants that are in my yard and aren’t mine.”
“I’m wondering if maybe for the sake of keeping the peace I should just replace the plants though?”
“AITA for ripping out their plants?”
Fellow Redditors weighed in on where they believed the OP fell in this particular situation, by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
The Reddit community unanimously agreed that the OP was not the a**hole for ripping up their neighbors’ vegetable garden.
Everyone agreed that the OP had every right to do whatever they wanted on their property, and their neighbor should have either been more careful as to where they planted the tomatoes.
“As much as it hurts my heart to rip out a perfectly good tomato plant, you’re NTA for doing so on your own property.”- WelfordNelferd
“NTA.”
“Why would they expect you to reimburse them because they planted in your yard?”
“It doesn’t sound like you even knew what the plants were.”- Apart-Ad-6518
“He was behaving like the yard was his and hoping you didn’t know any better.”
“Where I used to work, we’d see this all the time whenever property changed hands, and there weren’t existing fences.”
“People are always trying to gain a few extra feet over the property line from who they hope are gullible new neighbors.”
“Sounds like your neighbor was hoping to get the other side of his driveway for his own use, but at least he didn’t lie once he realized you were fully aware it was your yard.”
“If it was a prior arrangement with the former owner, he’d have checked with you first.”
“If he wasn’t trying to be sneaky, he’d have knocked on your door and asked if it was okay.”
“If he’d thought it was his land and he’d been doing it for years, he have said that after you pulled them up.”
“If he’d thought you wouldn’t mind, he’d have said that.”
“All he said was ‘you owe me for my plants you pulled up’.”
“Talk to your landscaper about a pretty hedge or something.”
“It’s what I did.”
“I closed on my house, and the next day, before I even moved in, the neighbors cut down a beautiful tree that was on my side of the property line (a tree he’d talked to me about cutting when I was just viewing the property).”
“Demanding you reimburse him for plants he knowingly planted on your land is pretty ballsy, I have to say.”
“NTA.”- Hungry_Composer644
“NTA.”
“It’s fine if the neighbor is bummed, but if it was a mistake now they know where to not plant things and if it wasn’t they know it won’t be tolerated.”- Brainjacker
“NTA.”
“But….these are people you’re going to live next to for possibly a long time.”
“Life is so much easier and more pleasant when you (at a bare minimum) aren’t in a hostile relationship with your neighbors.”
“You didn’t know that they were your neighbor’s plants.”
“You didn’t specifically tell your landscaper to tear them out.”
“It’s ridiculous for them to ask you to reimburse them for the tomatoes that they expect will come this season.”
“But, tomato plants are relatively cheap – even organic ones.”
“You might want to surprise them with a few small plants- just tell them that their original plants were on your property, you didn’t know they were theirs, you didn’t even request that your landscaper pull them…but you feel bad that this happened and would hate to ruin a neighborly relationship over it, so you’d like to give them some new plants.”
“This one small act on your part may save years of drama down the road.”- depemo
“NTA.”
“It was on your property – it was yours to do with as you wanted.”- Own_Lack_4526
“NTA.”
“Your neighbor planted on your property.”
“If you replace the plants where will they put them, on your property again?”- Walktothebrook
“NTA.”
“for not wanting your neighbors plants/garden on your property.”
“But you absolutely are for playing stupid games with ‘vines growing on the side of my house’.”
“And while not an ahole you are an idiot for not even attempting to solve this amicably with your neighbor.”
“They’re not some random person on the street you will have to live with them for years or decades.”- Dot-Slash-Dot
“NTA.”
“Should have left them and then ate the tomatoes growing on your back yard/house.”-Fresh_Salt7087
“NTA.”
“Chances are, the previous owner planted the tomatoes, and the neighbors have just been helping themselves.”
“I’d also question how they were picking the tomatoes without getting onto my property.”- Mikecjk1
“I mean…you could have had some homegrown tomatoes and good vibes with your neighbors, but you had to go all ‘get off my lawn!'”
“NTA, and no, you don’t owe them tomatoes.”
“BUT, was this a worthy battle to pick?”
“Only you know.”- SallyThinks
“NTA.”
“The plants were in your yard.”
“Maybe if they had approached you differently, it would’ve warranted a different response, but making demands, nah, they can consider themselves lucky you don’t ask they pay for the landscaping.”- SuccessDifficult5981
“No technically about it.”
“If you have something on your property, it’s yours to do with almost as you please (obviously excluding heritage and such).”
“NTA.”- Archon-Toten
“Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.”
“Your neighbor planted on your property.”
“NTA.”- mdthomas
“So.”
“NTA.”
“I would apologize and say I wasn’t aware that you had planted them in my yard.”
“I thought they had self-seeded.”
“Had I known that you had planted them, I would have asked you to move them before I had the landscaper remove them.”
“I do apologize for that. However, I will not be replacing them because you didn’t have my permission to plant them in my yard.”
“You want to set a precedent for being reasonable and compassionate, but you don’t want to set a precedent for being a doormat.”- GarandGal
It’s easy to understand why the OP’s neighbor was so angry, to see all their hard work be pulled away.
That being said, they should have made sure to plant those tomatoes on their own property to keep them safe and protected.
If the OP decides to replace their neighbor’s tomatoes, their neighbor should consider themselves lucky.
If the OP decides against that, it’s their right to do so as well.