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View Full Version : Protecting your garden from thiefs?



marylp
03-12-2009, 11:42 PM
I am looking at seed catalogs, lots of cool stuff. I am really re-thinking this gardening thing. If the poop hits the fan how am I supposed to protect my garden in the middle of the night? How are you guys gonna do it. I guess we will all need our ammo, but I cant see anyone getting shot over a zucchini. I have pecan trees, peaches, plums, almonds, oranges, lemons and limes. I will probably wake up one morning to see my fruit gone. I just dont know what to do. HOw are you planning on protecting your garden short of having armed security. Mary

vthompson
03-13-2009, 12:07 AM
I sort of live alone, because I don't really have a close neighbor. But, to protect my garden I would rely on my 4 dogs. They always bark whenever someone is close to our property and I would know to go out and investigate. I also installed motion lights on my house and property, and they light up my place real well when they are on.

Sourdough
03-13-2009, 01:24 AM
Attack Geese.........

RobertRogers
03-13-2009, 05:47 AM
This is a tough one. How about researching how growers of the various plants used to make drugs hide theirs? Experienced people are your best teachers!

Rick
03-13-2009, 07:18 AM
Hopeak is very close. Guineas. They will not only alert you to anyone stepping foot on your property, they will dispatch those snakes you are worried about. You won't have any snakes or unwanted visitors with Guineas around.

I also have motion lights on my house that cover most of the area. I've planted many of my fruits around the perimeter of my house like a flower garden. Strawberries and currants are on one side and edible wild plants on the other. The motion lights even help with raccoons.

RunsWithDeer
03-13-2009, 09:20 AM
Two outside dogs at my place let us know if anyone comes on the property. Geese do a good job too, but at my place only if something approaches the pond. In a true TSHTF situation, I would probably have one person up at all times keeping watch (family of 5). There's a lot more than the garden to protect.

Chris
03-13-2009, 10:52 AM
ya, in a TSHTF situation, you would require armed protection 24/7 anyways, unless you setup motion sensors & security cameras, which would make the job easier, but you should still have watches assigned.

The other thing is you can live out away from civilization and or band together with neighbors to keep outsiders away.

All in all, it is like running from a bear. You don't need to be faster than the bear, just faster than the people you are with. If you're not the ripest target on the block, you'll be safer.

Dennis K.
03-13-2009, 10:54 AM
Dogs & Fencing. These two things are great deterrents.

gryffynklm
03-13-2009, 11:07 AM
I'm hoping community will come together like Chris said. I have brought up the SHTF with a few people with in the context of a depression scenario and have found I'm certainly not alone in preparations. Specific SHTF hasn't been discussed yet. At least I have a number of folks talking about a community garden and a few willing to provide a site.

marylp
03-13-2009, 06:38 PM
All good ideas guys, but just think how easy it is to take out an animal. Give a dog some antifreeze in his water,he will easily drink it, only to die a miserable death. Guess the same could happen to any animal. Maybe I will just stick to freeze dried and dehydrated. Eventually to run out of course. I have plans to plant other fruit and nut trees. Mary

crashdive123
03-13-2009, 06:54 PM
Mary - another thing is to consider is to plant in such a manner that you do not advertise. We had a couple of threads on clandestine gardening that may offer some tips.

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3211&highlight=clandestine

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/showthread.php?t=27&highlight=clandestine

Also - don't forget about container gardening. You may not provide all of your needs in this manner, but you can certainly supplement your efforts.

marylp
03-13-2009, 07:04 PM
Thank you Crash! I was thinking like you said about containers, I could prolly take them inside the house in the evening.. But I will also be bringing in all the bugs that are nested in them.

Rick
03-13-2009, 09:38 PM
You could always put a sign in the garden...

Caution: ONE of the watermellons has been poisoned.

That should make them think for a moment.

erunkiswldrnssurvival
03-13-2009, 10:16 PM
I am looking at seed catalogs, lots of cool stuff. I am really re-thinking this gardening thing. If the poop hits the fan how am I supposed to protect my garden in the middle of the night? How are you guys gonna do it. I guess we will all need our ammo, but I cant see anyone getting shot over a zucchini. I have pecan trees, peaches, plums, almonds, oranges, lemons and limes. I will probably wake up one morning to see my fruit gone. I just dont know what to do. HOw are you planning on protecting your garden short of having armed security. Mary

i plant thorny shrubs around the perimeter of my garden, dont plant the good stuff close to your fences. plant sacrificial tomatoes (or other) delights where they are easily accesable to thye "hungry" passer by,(I like Goose Berries):innocent:

Dennis K.
03-16-2009, 06:06 PM
All good ideas guys, but just think how easy it is to take out an animal. Give a dog some antifreeze in his water,he will easily drink it, only to die a miserable death. Guess the same could happen to any animal. Maybe I will just stick to freeze dried and dehydrated. Eventually to run out of course. I have plans to plant other fruit and nut trees. Mary

Of course you can take out an animal. Or you can take out lights with an air rifle. You could disable alarms by disrupting their power source. You could take out a human guard, if you so choose.

So instead, you add layers of defense. Some out in the open as a deterrent. Some concealed.

Point is, there is no such thing as foolproof security.

wareagle69
03-20-2009, 10:00 AM
do not forget the animal theives, they most likely will do more damage than the humans

gryffynklm
03-20-2009, 10:49 AM
I protect parts of my garden with marigolds. It helps keep the rabbits away. I don't know if they don't like the smell or if they can't smell the veggies. Besides you can eat the marigolds in salad. Mmmm rose pudding. I haven't made that in a long time.

Rick
03-20-2009, 12:11 PM
I always plant marigolds in the garden. It's one of the best natural ways to keep aphids at bay. And they just look nice. But be wary. Not all marigolds are eatable. Two that I'm familiar with are Lemon Gem and Tangerine Gem, which are a cultivar of Tagetes tenuifolia. As far as I know, those are the only edible marigolds and they are not the same as the garden variety marigold.

jessielavon
04-19-2009, 05:56 PM
Our plan is to plant out garden in with the natural foliage and weeds,to try and make it look as natural as possible. We will do orgiastic with heirloom seeds.check out companion planting to see what plants can be planted next to what.

Alpine_Sapper
04-19-2009, 06:11 PM
All good ideas guys, but just think how easy it is to take out an animal. Give a dog some antifreeze in his water,he will easily drink it, only to die a miserable death. Guess the same could happen to any animal. Maybe I will just stick to freeze dried and dehydrated. Eventually to run out of course. I have plans to plant other fruit and nut trees. Mary

If you are going to buy an animal to prevent a burglary or robbery/pilfering of your garden, make sure he's trained. Just like for an apartment, the dog is no protection if he's going to lick the face of whoever is trying to come in, or take food/water from them. If they can get access to your dogs water, you have done yourself and your animal a disservice. While the statistics show that a dog is not a deterrent, I personally feel (and many of the guard service/working dog trainers I've talked to recently) feel that this is simply a matter of having an undertrained dog. Can it still be shot? Sure. But the dog barking or the gunshot will both wake you up. And if I wake up to find my dog has been shot, you better hope you kept running. Otherwise I'm gonna hamstring you and drag you off into a hole for some hours of cuddly fun with sharp pointy metal things. Like was mentioned though, 24 hour watch shifts is the best route, with a solid firearm and a good dog backing you up while patrolling a high fence with concertina on top. Field expedient land mines and booby traps/mantraps are also a solid knowledge investment jic you are tossed into this situation for real. If they never make it to the fence, that's one less perp you gotta worry about.

Alpine_Sapper
04-19-2009, 06:14 PM
Our plan is to plant out garden in with the natural foliage and weeds,to try and make it look as natural as possible. We will do orgiastic with heirloom seeds.check out companion planting to see what plants can be planted next to what.

Security through obscurity should only be one layer in your design. Otherwise it will fail miserably when put to the test. I can spot a tomato plant amongst natural foliage. I'm sure others can too.

jessielavon
04-19-2009, 06:16 PM
Alpine_Sapper,darling,what other ideas do you have that we can put into place?

Alpine_Sapper
04-19-2009, 06:50 PM
Alpine_Sapper,darling,what other ideas do you have that we can put into place?

There's already been some good ones posted;

1: diversify. Keep some plants in containers outside, and some inside. Rotate those.
Even ones you grow in the ground outside should have a few of the same
in containers just in case you have to move everything inside for x reason.

2: perimeter security:

A: Fencing.
In a pinch, I'll surround my place with triple row concertina, booby trapped.
In a civilian populated environment,
An 8 or 9 foot fence is great. If TSHTF, toss some concertina you've previous purchased on the top. Make sure to leave enough area on the inside of your fence to;

B: Mantrap:
apply a nice patch of tanglefoot. ( I tried to find a decent link, but all I could find was crap. It's basically a patch of ground where you put barbed wire in a diamond pattern a couple inches to a foot off the ground.) If they do managed to think of something like a pillow or blanket they can toss over the concertina to scale the fence, when the hit the tanglefoot on the other side, they are GOING to trip, yell, and make a lot of noise.
By that time the dogs should already be on'em. A solid fence will make it that much more frightening if the rest of the guys crew on the other side can't see, but all they hear is "*thud* Oh SH*T! What the ... OH F***!"
Tanglefoot is not the only option, but it's a fun one. You can even put this in place now, and let the vegetation grow up over it. But, uh, you wanna make sure no one comes through except you cause this can get you in trouble if some "innocent" stranger walks through and gets caught up. Tanglefoot, just like your concertina, can be booby trapped further. Claymore style expedient shaped charges are great for this, as are small impact grenades set to fall when the tanglefoot gets a GOOD tug, not just some little snag. You can make them easily by taping a BB to the primer on a shotgun shell. Tape a little toilet paper to the top for a foil to guarantee the shell hits primer down, and bang. Instant nutbuster. You can also make slits in the plastic part containing the shot on the sides so that the shell blows out instead of up, thus targeting the ankles, or head if it hits a shoulder. Learn how to make pressure switches and homemade mines. :)

C: Lighting
Does this need expansion?

D: 24/7 overwatch patrols by armed guards

E: Well-trained dogs,

G: Build a greenhouse, underground. If your bug out location is someplace only you go, and you go frequently, or someone stays there regularly, you can essentially dig a shelter, like the earth bag shelter, and turn one section of it into a "greenhouse" with plastic or glass. As it's set down into the ground, you then only have to camoflauge the top. If you plant brambles/briars and all kinds of stuff like that to make the undergrowth around your "shelter" almost un-crossable, it will deter a lot of people, especially if they can't see somethings there. Lights, dogs, fences, and armed patrols typically give you away though.

You seem to be one of the ones that thinks it's going to be something more anti-personnel than natural-disaster. I'm not disagreeing with you, but it's a different skill-set you need to aquire, ya know? Like, Rick would probably never even consider some of these tactics, since he doesn't seem to believe that would happen. I believe anything can happen and that I need to be prepared to blow it all to kingdom come and back repeatedly until it stops twitching. :m107:

Sorry for the novel, but, you asked... :)

Say Mods, Can I get some smilies with explosives pleeeeease?:rambo:

tennecedar
04-19-2009, 06:56 PM
I can't believe you just posted a how to on an I E D. You gonna shoot right to the top of that list we were talking about.LMAO

jessielavon
04-19-2009, 07:00 PM
Thanks Apline your right we do need to be aware of other possibles that can happen,We will head your advice.

Rick
04-19-2009, 07:03 PM
"What are we waiting on?"

"Sapper has tanglefoot deployed along with some booby traps."

"Crap! I need to call my wife. Looks like I'm gonna be late again."

http://www.high-point.net/HP/images/tact.JPG

Alpine_Sapper
04-19-2009, 07:21 PM
I can't believe you just posted a how to on an I E D. You gonna shoot right to the top of that list we were talking about.LMAO

lol. Yeah, I guess. I figured nutbusters were one of those things everyone new about.

Alpine_Sapper
04-19-2009, 07:22 PM
"What are we waiting on?"

"Sapper has tanglefoot deployed along with some booby traps."

"Crap! I need to call my wife. Looks like I'm gonna be late again."

http://www.high-point.net/HP/images/tact.JPG

roflmfao. :tank:

Alpine_Sapper
04-19-2009, 07:27 PM
Thanks Apline your right we do need to be aware of other possibles that can happen,We will head your advice.

np. More food for thought than advice. Tactics will be determined a lot by terrain. Defensive structures and obstacles can be FUN to create. :)

tennecedar
04-19-2009, 07:29 PM
lol. Yeah, I guess. I figured nutbusters were one of those things everyone new about.

Well yeah, I know about em. I'm just a paranoid freak too chicken to talk about em on the internet.

Alpine_Sapper
04-19-2009, 07:30 PM
Well yeah, I know about em. I'm just a paranoid freak too chicken to talk about em on the internet.

'swhere I learned about 'em, 18 years or so ago.

jessielavon
04-19-2009, 07:43 PM
Apline,you sound like my boy,we call him Southern Thunder!
I need to be prepared to blow it all to kingdom come and back repeatedly until it stops twitching.

crashdive123
04-19-2009, 07:52 PM
Apline,you sound like my boy,we call him Southern Thunder!
I need to be prepared to blow it all to kingdom come and back repeatedly until it stops twitching.

There are easier ways to make salad from your garden.

jessielavon
04-19-2009, 07:59 PM
Some times we just have to toss the salad to get it right.

Alpine_Sapper
04-19-2009, 08:41 PM
Some times we just have to toss the salad to get it right.

Um, yeah, I'm just gonna go ahead and leave that one alone....

jessielavon
04-19-2009, 09:10 PM
Um, yeah, I'm just gonna go ahead and leave that one alone....

I thought I was referring to
"I need to be prepared to blow it all to kingdom come and back repeatedly until it stops twitching."
:sneaky2:Guess I got my salads mixed up.

Alpine_Sapper
04-19-2009, 09:22 PM
I thought I was referring to
"I need to be prepared to blow it all to kingdom come and back repeatedly until it stops twitching."
:sneaky2:Guess I got my salads mixed up.


*sigh* yeah, I can make anything into an innuendo. Just ask my wife. :)

jessielavon
04-19-2009, 09:34 PM
My crew says I have a warped scene of humor at times,I claim it's just cause I am a smarta** at times!Have to be with all my crew running about.