sudden loss of interest in gardening

[2manyrocks]

Our dogs went nuts yesterday afternoon. When I went to see what was up, I immediately heard a rattle over the barking. This rattler was coiled up ready to strike inside the fence with three dogs in his face. Finally dealt with the situation without any dogs being harmed. Problem is, it all happened about 20' from our garden, and I'm having this sudden lack of interest in going in it to pick tomatoes.

Ended up cutting the yard and then bush hogging all around to try to flush out any more unwelcome visitors.

45" long and six buttons.

 

[bigtiller]

Us folks near or north of the 42nd parallel will gladly wait untill August fot the first tomato if it means we don't have to mess with them fellows.

 

[Stimw]

I never heard of a rattle snake eating tomatoes so I wouldn't worry.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

I killed one that looked like that but it had no rattles not long ago, figured it was after water, but I sure wear shoes out at night and had hubby put me up a light to the chicken house, used to go out there in the dark, almost stepped on it. It was pretty good size. I've killed 2 in the chicken house before hubby built me a new door couple of years back. Got one of them with a baby chick in its mouth, to late for the chick.

 

[jinman]

I think your first sentence, "Our dogs went nuts yesterday afternoon." is the best part of that post. I believe I'd take them for a walk through the garden everytime I was going there, at least for awhile. Considering what snakes eat, I just wonder if you don't have some other rodents about. Some rat or mice baits in the garden could be helpful in keeping snakes away. Of course, if you have rabbits or squirrels, that might not help. Hang in there and be careful.

 

[TBDonnelly]

My wife went nuts when she encountered a garter snake on the green bean pole at eye level. I can't imagine coming across a poisonous rattle snake in the garden.

We took a dog into the garden over the weekend. The dog flushed a rabbit out. The rabbit leaped over the fence! That section of fence is about 2 feet higher now.

Don

 

[2manyrocks]

I guess it was either hunting mice or water. This is the first rattler we've run into, but I've run up on copperheads in the yard a year or two ago. The copperheads were probably hunting mice because I found them in the Spring when things were still wet. The creek is about dry here now so the rattler could have been hunting water.

When the hay gets cut again, all the field mice will want to come in the house, and the snakes after them.

Except for peppers and tomatoes, our garden is about done anyway and we'll till a lot of it under soon. The tomatoes are so bushy and grown together that we're going to have to be more careful in the garden.

I did have the idea of tying the rattle to some fishing line and hiding it in the garden for the Mrs. but decided that would be a bad idea.

 

[Rockin RK]

We had one on the porch yesterday morning, it was up around the plants on the cool concrete 4 buttons and about 3 ft long. The .410 took care of the problem but I'm sure watching my step a lot more

 

[WayneB]

And to think I complain about Mosquitoes! We only have a few snakes around here and I certainly keep my distance.

 

[wushaw]

That looks like a Canebrake.