Homesteader Depot

Tag: homestead security

  • 7 Simple Ways to Keep Your Homestead Safe

    7 Simple Ways to Keep Your Homestead Safe

    You love living on your homestead, and you cannot imagine living in anywhere but a rural area. One of the elements of having a homestead that deserves plenty of attention is keeping it safe. Whether it is wild animals that decide to get a little too close for comfort or people who are looking to steal from you or do you and your family harm, you need to have a method of keeping things secure.

    Since you might be far from local law enforcement and help, it is up to you to take measures to secure your property. You do not want to have to wait half an hour – or longer – for help to arrive. Here are some ways that you can improve your home’s security from threats.

    Use Fences, Gates, and Signs

    You should have fences around your property, as well as a gate at the start of your driveway. Keep the gate and the fences in good condition, and be sure that you are posting the appropriate signs warning people not to trespass. This will not keep out the most determined of intruders, but they can work to keep many people away.

    Do Not Leave Equipment Out

    You never want to make your home appear like a buffet for thieves. This means you need to put all the equipment that you have into the garage, shed, barn, or other secure areas. This includes the mowers, tractors, four-wheelers, snowmobiles, bikes, boats, and anything else you have that others might want for themselves.

    Related Article:  Stay Safe on the Homestead

    Make Sure You Have Good Locks

    Go through your house and make sure that you have good locks on all the windows and doors, including the basement, and those on the second floor. If they are shoddy or not working properly, replace them sooner rather than later. Make sure the locks on any other buildings on your property are in good condition, as well.

    Get to Know the Neighbors

    Make it a point to get out and talk with your neighbors. You will find that most people are friendly, and once you get to know them, they will keep an eye on your property and let you know of any suspicious activity, just as you would do for them. It is always a good idea to be neighborly, as you can help each other out in many ways, not just security.

    You Need Proper Lighting

    Good lighting on the outside of the property, including motion sensor lighting, can help to thwart people and animals that get too close. They do not want to be seen, and the lights can help to give you notice that someone or something is on your property. Of course, if you have livestock, cats, and other animals on the property, you will need to think carefully about where you put the motion lighting.

    Dogs

    Having a dog, or multiple dogs can be a great deterrent too. Dogs bark whenever there are intruders, whether they are human or animal, so you can be alerted to presences on your property. Even if you have the sweetest dogs on the planet, intruders would rather not have to deal with them.

    Weapons

    Weapons, whether firearms or bear spray, can be a great option. Most homesteaders are also hunters, so having a firearm and knowing how to use it should not be a problem.

    These quick tips are simple and can help you make your property as secure as possible.

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  • Protecting the Garden From Animals

    Protecting the Garden From Animals

    After you have invested time, physical effort and money into creating a garden from which you plan to enjoy a variety of fresh vegetables, the last thing you want to see is an invasion of wildlife. In a single evening, devastation can occur as a result of unwanted four-legged visitors. A slower method of destruction can occur from casual nibblers and from critters who destroy your plants from underground.

    Individual species of animals attack your garden in different ways. Animals such as rabbits and deer simply move along throughout your garden nibbling on or possibly entirely consuming some plants. Other animals such as mice and woodchucks attract your plants from underground. Your garden can also be damaged, although typically not totally destroyed by dogs and cats trampling the plants or digging up some of the plants. The area you live in often determines the type of animals you are most likely to be in competition with when it comes to enjoying garden vegetables, fruits and even flowers.

    Fencing is the most assuredly effective way to protect your garden. Various factors enter into the type of fencing you use. An electric fence is considered to be the ultimate protective fencing. However, if you have young children, this may not be the best option for you. There are a variety of safer options available as an alternative to electric fencing.

    You can purchase a product that is marketed as deer fencing. Poly fencing does not hamper your view of your garden. This is a good option for a garden that is located in a neighborhood or in an area where it is a visible part of the landscape. Deer fencing made of wire is one of your strongest defenses against deer and other furry invaders. Taking time to observe the unwanted visitors to your garden will help you determine the type of barrier you need to install.

    When appearance is a priority, decorative fencing may be your preferred choice of protective fencing. Reed fencing is a way to increase privacy and protect your garden. If you enclose your garden with wood fencing, you’ll need to add poultry netting to the base to keep out small intruders.

    Moles, voles and chipmunks attract your garden from underground. To prevent your garden from an underground attract, you will need to dig a trench 6″ to 8″ below the ground and begin your fencing there.

    Perimeter fencing has been shown to be the most effective way to protect a garden from the numerous animals waiting to enjoy the fruits of your labor. However, if a permanent fence or temporary fencing is not a possible option for you, there are alternatives. You can interplant animal-deterrent plants such as catmint, sage, zinnia, marigolds, garlic and onion within your garden or use these plants as a living border for your garden to deter unwanted visitors. Some gardeners have found that planting a dense hedge or thorny rose bushes around the garden will deter rabbits and dogs from entering the garden.

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  • Tips for Stretching Wire Fence

    Tips for Stretching Wire Fence

    Whether you are trying to keep your animals in, or wild animals out, a good fence is going to be an essential part of nearly all homesteads.  Simply putting up some wire between posts will not get you much.  Even if you are able to contain your animals, it could be because there is a steady supply of food and water available, rather than their inability to escape.  But potential predators will not be deterred so easily.  The following is a few tips on getting your wire fence stretched out tight and started right.

     

    Determine the Grade

    After getting your corner posts in, the next step to hanging your wire fence is to determine if the ground is flat, or sloping.  This will not be as much of an issue for shorter fences, but even a very gradual slope can make a huge difference in a longer fence.  To determine if the ground at your location has too much of a slope, loosely hang the fence on the corner posts and pull it tight by hand.  This will allow you to determine if the angel the fence is hung at needs to be adjusted.

    High or Low Spots

    If there are high spots in an otherwise flat area this can be addressed by digging out the high area if possible.  If the ground is too rocky, the fence can be carefully cut to the size and shape of the obstruction so that it fits snuggly to the ground.  If there is a low spot in your fence line you can fill the depression with a heavy log, and then nail or staple the fence to the log to keep it tight.  Pile on rocks afterward to keep predators from digging in around the log.

    Anchor Point

    To stretch the fence out to the proper tension prior to securely attaching it to the corner posts, you need to first find an anchor point.  If a suitable anchor point is not available, you can use a truck or a tractor.  If the location will not allow you to get a truck or tractor in position, then as a last resort you can use the corner post itself.  Once you have a suitable anchor point, attach a come-along to the anchor, and to the fence.  If you attach directly to the fence it will stretch unevenly can damage the fence.  For this reason, use a tension bar, or a piece of rebar if a tension bar is not available.

    Still Not Tight Enough

    If you have secured your fence between your posts and found that there is still a little more slack than you would like you can still fix this.  Get a pair of pliers and grasp the top horizontal wire between two vertical wires, then twist the wire until it looks like a “Z” instead of a straight horizontal line.  While remaining in between the same two vertical wires, make your way down the fence, twisting each horizontal wire in the same manner.  This might need to be done at multiple spots along your fence line to achieve the proper tension.

     

    To avoid losing your animals to predators or escape, put in the effort beforehand to get their area secure.  This initial investment of time and energy will pay off in the long run.

     

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