4 Security Features to Protect Your Garden Area

With gardening season right around the corner, now is a great time to start thinking about how you'll protect your vegetable garden from pests and thieves. Gardening is often touted as an easy and fun way to get healthy food for your family. But if you've tried it, you know that the produce gained from a home garden can be hard-won, and every tomato counts.

Whether your neighbors have been helping themselves in past years or whether local deer and raccoons routinely feast on the fruits (and vegetables) of your labor, beefing up the security in your garden and backyard is a good place to start. Here are four security features that can protect your healthy homegrown produce.

1. A Fence With a Locking Gate

A tall fence can discourage casual raiders. If you don't lock the gate securely, though, humans can still easily get in. If you want to protect your produce against petty thieves and vandals, look for a secure lock that resists picking, lock bumping, and bolt cutters.

You'll want to bury the edge of the fence about a foot if you suspect rabbits are the culprit and consider installing a double fence if you're dealing with deer. If you think birds are the issue, you may want to add a bird mesh over the top of the garden.

Choose a type of fence that offers good visibility (such as a chain link fence) to allow you to look out your window anytime you want and make sure no marauders have gotten in. A fence that's solid could provide cover for a vandal who wants to try their hand at picking the lock, whereas better visibility will make them think twice if they don't want to be seen.

2. Motion-Activated Security Lighting

You may have some motion-sensing lights outdoors already, but check to see if you have any pointing towards your backyard garden. Floodlights in the backyard that are activated by motion may startle wildlife and human raiders alike. These lights can also help you to catch any goings-on on camera.

3. Security Cameras or Wildlife Cameras

You can't watch the yard all night, so install cameras to catch any criminals on tape. Visible security cameras are one way to scare off human criminals, who don't want to be identified. If you want to be alerted as soon as a criminal shows up, a security camera with a real-time monitoring service is probably what you need.

If your thieves aren't human, catching them on video will help you identify their species so you can take further steps to repel or remove them (like humane traps or repellents, or calling wildlife control). A wildlife camera, also known as a trail camera, may be best for this situation. These cameras can run for a long time without needing new batteries.

4. Perimeter Alarm System

Wildlife can be sneaky, and you may not even realize just how many raccoons and deer you have wandering around your backyard at night. While a wildlife camera can help in this regard, you may also want to install ground sensors around your property's perimeter that alert you when a person or animal crosses into your yard.

The sensors involved are buried underground so they don't affect the appearance of your yard. You can calibrate them for increased sensitivity if you want the system to pick up animals, or decreased sensitivity if you only want it to pick up humans. 

As you can see, you have several steps to take if you want to protect your produce. Some of these steps could take time (such as installing a good fence, for example). So get started now and you can have the best-protected garden on the block later this year.

You won't necessarily need all of these steps, but it depends on how severe your problem is and how many species are congregating on your veggies each night. For more information on the locks, security systems, and other products and services we provide, call Coastal Burglar Alarm today.