Serious question. How does one defend one’s kitchen garden from such thugs?
12 gage 00 Buck works just fine.
Put books around your garden? ./.Chris Rock quote
Don’t live near them.
I’m sorta partial to my M1A.
I don’t know that they’ll be after your veggies. Too much trouble and effort. They’ll be after your canned and hard assetts. This is where like-minded neighbors come into play.
These can be secured and protected.
Fencing and motion detector lights (solar if appropriate)would sure help.
Live where they don't live.
I have five watch dogs and one guard/attack dog. The watch dogs roam the property and make noise if something moves. If that noise happens, I show up with the attack dog and two other well armed/equipped, well trained young males that have a practiced plan.
The way such things have always been defended, of course.
A valid question that’s crossed my mind as well. A garden isn’t any good if the lands been burned, or your home, or the soil or waters no good.
I think more of us should consider how and where we would relocate to in such a scenario.
Make it not obvious that it is food. Edible landscaping.
Having seeds to sprout and potable water, you can grow your own food for a long long time. It’s live food and you don’t have to limit yourself to alfalfa, mung bean sprouts. Wheat, oats, many types of beans and seeds can be sprouted. Endless variety of food that is very nutritious.
You don’t defend it but hide it. Grow mushrooms and sprouts indoors. Potatoes grow under ground so those who don’t know what the leaves look like won’t bother them. Carrots, kohlrabi, lettuce, onions, beets, etc. can look like weeds if they’re not planted in neat rows. Plant your garden randomly in your weedy yard. Learn to forage. Remember, Euell Gibbons said, “Ever eat a pine tree? Many parts are edible.”