Welcome to the forum!

Thanks R.S.

Finally getting some warm weather here in NS, course it's been warm in the greenhouse for two months. Spinach and lettuce are being consumed and the tomatoes are set. Life is good!

welcome and look forward to hear more from you

Thanks for the welcome farmgal.

Been thinking a lot about way to increase security during a bugging in situation here on our property. Some places have the advantage of height, with few approaches and great sightlines, but not here. Some places are fortified with big walls and imposing gates, but that's certainly not my beautiful spot either. Not so easy here to see incoming, or perhaps either to repel borders. Difficult in fact.

This year though, I have taken more notice of the birds in my area, and have really enjoyed getting to know which song comes from which bird, and have spent a fair bit of time out walking in the fields and woods with a couple of old field guides and binos. Fun and very relaxing. Spotted a fair number of nests now too. One nest in particular surprised me because of it's placement, and puts me in mind of perhaps how most realistically and effectively to strengthen my position here. It's a Robin's nest, down quite low, in what would usually be a very vulnerable position. You could look right in, see the birds coming and going, see the three blue eggs once laid, see the hatchlings, and finally see them mature and leave their nest, which is located smack in the middle of the thickest, thorniest wild rose hedge on the property. No cat, nor bigger bird would get in to disturb that nest without taking guaranteed personal damage, and they would certainly think twice before making any attempt at grabbing those meager eggs.

That's the answer for my spot. Make it look like a small egg in a big sticker bush. Keep anything worth taking out of sight from the road in combination with increases to the perimeter defenses that are psychological as well as physical. Gonna propagate more of those thick wild rose hedges along the road that borders one side of the property, and encourage the hawthorne and blackberry brambles on the far side of the woods. Put up a few more signs too with no uncertain terms. Then just to frost the cake, leave some spent shells and casings lying on the most likely approaches.

Sure, you can probably take my little blue egg, but is it really worth it?

Very Nice idea's, throw in stinging nettles as a under planting, a great food crop for you, early spring greens when its ever so lean in the spring, dry for tea's and green for winter use, and use for helping create that.. stay out the rest of the time.. plus you can cut some here and there for compost tea for your gardens..

Also recommend the idea of the Litchi tomato in a row in front of those lovely rose bushes.. just another layer of thorns to work your way though but again a food crop and it produces into frosts, extending your food cropping season..

http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/litchi-tomato-zmaz09djzraw.aspx

The other one I would look at is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_artichoke

for a come back year after year natural green screen, some like the roots, some do not.. the greens are good critter fodder, and the roots can be as well depending on what used for.. just remember that ones they are planted and growing well, they are pretty much going to be there for darn near ever LOL

The other one that will grow nice and big with good fruit and lots of thorns if you do it right is the green gooseberry, and that will provide you with natural pectin for jam making as well as a good source for extra vit-minerals etc.

Best of luck on it.. let us know how it goes!

Thanks for the ideas FG, I'll look into my options.

Welcome Skillman,

I am also from rural NS. That must have been me you saw in the Co-op. Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get me. I do stay away from the camo/realtree though, too...Nascar crowd.

I, too, like thorn bushes. I planted a barberry bush under one window a couple of years ago and it is coming along nicely. I also have Japanese Locus trees that I was thinking would make a formidable hedge. I just invested in a Dakota Alert driveway alarm from Aartech Canada. It works quite well.

30C here today. Two weeks ago it was 9C.

Thanks for the welcome Lee. Pretty sure there's something named after you tucked up in the floor joists at my wife's aunt's place next door, but can't quite remember what it is...

Yup, finally some nice warm days. Might have to look into one of those driveway alarms for the eventual brief period in between when the dog gets too senile to bark, and before the next one gets trained to bark. Hope that's a few years down the road though.

Little wild strawberries out there to be had right now. Would be hard to make a whole pot of jelly from them, but sure is nice to set down out in the field, savour a few, and watch the cedar waxwings and American redstarts in the alders. Summertime and the livin is easy...

Read a thing last night about how the changing climate is making the polar vortex and the Jetstream more inconsistent, and that with some grace, that may translate into more of the (God willing never will happen), nuclear fallout staying to the South of us, for all that's worth, but hey - these days any good news is welcome!

Enjoy these gentle days