I think I'm going no-till

[Cole_Robbie]

Look who was hiding under my black plastic! I think it's a rat snake. I managed to move him over a row from where I was planting. He loves it underneath the black plastic when it heats up in the sun.

Obviously, I know the snake is beneficial, but they still scare the heck out of me. My dog likes to sniff out the snake and bark at it. I'm going to need her to check for the snake from now on when I plant.

[SteveP]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

Look who was hiding under my black plastic! I think it's a rat snake. I managed to move him over a row from where I was planting. He loves it underneath the black plastic when it heats up in the sun.

Obviously, I know the snake is beneficial, but they still scare the heck out of me. My dog likes to sniff out the snake and bark at it. I'm going to need her to check for the snake from now on when I plant.

That's a biggun. I am not a snake expert, but I think your guess is correct. A nice guardian of the garden.

[BigVanVader]

Oh wow! I find black snakes sometimes and it scares the crap out of me for a second. Copperheads are the ones I worry about. They blend in so well to leaves I've walked right over one before seeing it, but I haven't seen any here. They say black snakes are territorial, but Idk.

[Rockporter]

Thank gosh my weed cloth is solidly sealed in with 2x4's on the edges, I wouldn't want to be walking on that.

[Jimbotomateo]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

My magic dirt is full of thorny pigweed seeds. That's the down side. I have never managed to find a way to kill those seeds. I have baked the stuff in an oven, boiled it, steamed it....those weed seeds are invincible.

I'm about to go put some more plants in the dirt outside right now. The past two nights were cold, but it is warming up. The raised ridges and black plastic mulch are a big help this time of the year to warm up the soil. In the tilled garden, tomatoes and peppers are not going to grow when the nights are still getting down to the 50's. They'll live; they just won't do anything until it warms up.

[Jimbotomateo]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

Thanks, man. I left my plastic mulch on from last year, so planting should be no big deal. I am just now starting. I did not put new dirt on any of my beds, including the high tunnel, but the plants there still look great. My cow field dirt, aka Sugar's Black Magic, is some powerful stuff.

I'd love to be a pooper scooper! . Why are snakes so sneaky? Every time I've seen one it was a complete surprise! . Scary too. Seems like you never walk up and say , oh yeah, there's a snake! Always gets my heart pumping! I'm okay after I decide I'm at safe distance..

[Cole_Robbie]

I stepped on a big snake barefoot when I was about six, and have been scared of them ever since. I think it's the only phobia I have. I have about 700' of plastic mulch left to plant, and now I'm scared to stick my hands down there. This is going to be interesting.

A friend of mine said that I should just kill the snake, since it is in my way and slowing me down. That would be satisfying, but it would be acting out of fear and ignorance, something I try to be against in principle.

Here's a link about my snake: http://www.livescience.com/53855-rat-snake.html

It says they make popular pets. "Docile, yet snappish when cornered." LOL. Ok, do not corner the snake. Let's make that rule #1

Online discussions I find are often between snake-lovers and snake-haters, but the quote below seems like good advice.

https://www.todayshomeowner.com/deal...ome-or-garden/
Myth #3:
Black snakes are completely harmless.

Just because I think black snakes are good to have around doesn’t mean I want to be bitten by one, any more than I’d want to be bitten by a raccoon, a rat, or a stray dog. Any snake bite – even a nonvenomous one – is likely to be painful and full of bacteria which can lead to infection. So it’s best to treat all snakes respectfully, keep your distance, and avoid being bitten.

[BigVanVader]

No doubt. I had a python (named Monty) as a pet for years, as he got older he would sometimes bite me when I was handling him. It was mildly painful but still made me jump and I was sure to clean and bandage the wound. I've heard some horrid stories about untreated snake bites even from pets. Like most of nature's creatures they don't want to cause harm but if you startle one or corner it then good luck...

[Rockporter]

Cole, use a stick to hit the plastic as you walk down the line, this should alert the snake you are there and it should move out of your way. I don't like to kill the either, just the bad ones.

[Cole_Robbie]

Oh I will. It's going to be funny to watch, I'm sure. The temps are like 20 degrees warmer under the plastic when the sun is out, so he really hates coming out from underneath it. He's still at the end of one row where I last moved him, with just his nose stuck out from the plastic, peeking out. From what I read, Black Racers will slither away to avoid people, but Black Rat Snakes don't really care that much that you are there.

[SteveP]

My next door neighbor is scared to death by any snake. Twice last year he called me and frantically asked me to grab a gun and hurry over to kill a snake in his yard. I go over (unarmed) to find a garter snake. He freaks out when I catch them and take them over and release them in my garden. I tell him that most snakes are harmless to people and to just leave them alone and if one begins chasing you to run as fast as you can back into the house, since snakes can't turn doorknobs. Hahaha

[Rockporter]

Originally Posted by SteveP

My next door neighbor is scared to death by any snake. Twice last year he called me and frantically asked me to grab a gun and hurry over to kill a snake in his yard. I go over (unarmed) to find a garter snake. He freaks out when I catch them and take them over and release them in my garden. I tell him that most snakes are harmless to people and to just leave them alone and if one begins chasing you to run as fast as you can back into the house, since snakes can't turn doorknobs. Hahaha

I actually had a snake chase me once in my backyard on Padre Island. I have not idea what kind of snake it was, but that sucker came up out of the green and black water enclosure for our water system when I took the lid off. I jumped back and it came at me all the while I ran like crazy to find it right behind me. That was scary! I hate snakes, I don't want to kill the good guys but I'll be danged if I won't if I have too, lol.

[bower]

One of the blessings of our blissful island life.... no snakes!!

[jtjmartin]

I had a small Burmese python and a large black snake growing up. The black snake struck a couple times but always with his mouth closed.

In high school, I got to go to Hood College for a field biology course. We trapped and pelted mice and then I took a black snake out of its cage. I learned the importance of washing my hands!

With that said, sneaky snakes still scare me in the garden - I never expect them!

[tryno12]

i would still be running!