Keeping critters out with technology

As I toil at this tome on Labor Day, the work-saving devices of my garden come to mind. In a previous life as an IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) Local 606 electrician, most of my experience centered on automation controls and monitoring. From the fire alarm and theater system in the penthouse of Cinderella’s Castle to leak detectors in the Lucent computer chip plant, technology helped create and manage these productive processes. Applying some retail-scaled labor-saving devices can also help us better grow our gardens.

Many of us already have home irrigation systems for our lawn sprinklers. A timer box, usually in the garage, controls the zones with solenoids and valves. A rain detector on the eaves of the roof shuts the system off when enough precipitation warrants saving municipal water. To designate a zone exclusively for the garden would require some digging and pipe work, not beyond the scope of any suburban homesteader. Some type of initial monitoring of irrigation volume can easily be measured with a rain gauge to time the quantity of sprinkler volume. Still keep the water hose handy.

Keeping track of what mammalian pests are interloping the garden space is serendipitously tracked with a motion activated wildlife camera. Available from sporting goods stores for less than three figures and mounted in a discrete location, viewing the photos on a home computer is also a very engaging way to enjoy the garden during our slumbering hours. Once the thief is identified, proper control methods can be employed.

Varmints marauding through our crops can be kept at bay with electric fencing. The technology is affordable and easily constructed. A system comprising a photovoltaic or plug-in charger, ground rod, insulators and electric strands will shock the intruders to the effect of a doggy training collar. A timer or photocell can turn the system off during daylight hours. Once the neighborhood’s critters are zapped just one time, the system does not need to be operated on routine schedule; only when pest pressures surface. Deer, raccoons, rabbits, possums, foxes, cats and dogs avoid my garden like the plague.

Whole homestead automation can be achieved with an X-10 or similar electrical control system. Hooked into the breaker panel and various circuits by a professional, lights and power can be controlled and monitored from remote locations. The bells and whistles of any of these futuristic technologies often sound easier than in practice; so keep common sense in mind before assuming all your problems will be turn-key surmounted with these Buck Rogers toys.

Tom Carey is the owner of Sundew Gardens, a you-pick gardening business in Oviedo. Visit the Sundew Gardens Facebook page and email him at [email protected]