By Bonnie Malkin in Sydney
Published: 10:32AM BST 12 Aug 2009

Cucumber: In the latest of the 11 thefts, 50 bags of cucumbers were stolen from a glasshouse on Saturday night. Photo: AFP

In the past three months more than $10,000 (5,000 lbs) worth of cucumbers have gone missing from allotments and gardens.

In the latest of the 11 thefts, 50 bags of cucumbers were stolen from a glasshouse on Saturday night.

Police, who have very few leads, have appealed to the public for help.

Chief Inspector Kym Zander said the crimes were certainly "unique".

"We're having difficulty establishing where they're going," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation "It's obvious or evident that it is somebody in the know to establish which glasshouse is growing cucumbers, tomatoes, et cetera.

"We find that the cucumbers are being picked, they're being either packed in bags or in buckets ready for the market the next morning and when the growers turn up with their vehicles the glasshouse is bare."

Insp Zander admitted that even if police could trace the missing vegetables, it would be hard to determine which ones were stolen.

"The issue with the cucumber is how do you and I tell who owns a different cucumber?"