A snake is one of the most unique creatures on earth because
of the fact that it does not have appendages that enable it to
move. Using its very strong muscles, a snake is able to navigate
its way across the ground to move from one location to another.
It is truly a unique and odd looking process that separates it
from the vast majority of animals across the globe.
For most people, the way that a snake looks and moves makes it a
little intimidating to them. They don’t like this look and find
the slithering and scaly body of the creature to be scary if not
outright gross. For this reason, they do all that they can to
keep the snake away from their property.
This can be a real challenge, however. A snake can make getting
rid of it a very difficult task especially when you are talking
about the outside area around your home.
Many opt to put a garden on their property to save themselves
some money and to have a fresh set of vegetables and fruit to be
able to eat. It creates a wonderful meal or snack for you and
your family that is fresh and tasty.
However, the garden can become more than a place to grow food.
Many love their garden and care for it with the same kind of
concern that they do for their pet. They faithfully care for
that garden and ensure that weeds and bugs are nowhere near,
protecting the fruit and vegetables that they are harvesting.
It’s a beautiful love affair of sorts.
It’s also a very challenging one to keep other creatures from
gaining access into the garden. One of the most difficult of
these to exclude is the snake.
As mentioned, the unusual look of the snake makes it a rather
odd creature for sure. However, it also makes it one that is
difficult to keep away. Many snakes are quite small in terms of
their diameter, so putting up fencing may not be the effective
solution you thought it would be to keep these creatures out. So
that may make you wonder how to keep snakes out of your garden?
While the fence is not necessarily the only solution, it is the
place where you want to begin. Consider again that you cannot
choose wire fencing where there are gaps. A snake will simply
work its way through a gap in into your garden.
You should use solid wood planks, that are placed at least 6
inches below the surface of the ground and up to 36 inches
above. This will keep the snake from being able to dig under
your fence and will stop it from being able to get over. A snake
cannot climb your fence but if it is too short in comparison to
the length of the snake it can simply push its way over. 36
inches should be sufficient.
There are also several kinds of snake repellents that you can
buy that are not hazardous to your fruits or vegetables, but can
be placed along the outside of the fence to keep them away.
These can be highly effective if used properly.
Lastly, don’t give the snakes a reason to want into your garden.
Most of these reptiles are looking for bugs or rodents to devour
for food. If you deny them these kinds of foods by treating your
garden for bugs and keeping rodents out then you will
effectively remove the snake’s desire to be in your garden. This
may be the very best solution of all.
For more information about How to keep snakes out of my garden,
go to my Snake
Removal - How to Get Rid of Snakes home page.
Hi: We live in Charleston SC (Daniel Island) and recently saw a
beautiful 3-4 foot copperhead crawl into the garden in the front
of our house. Our neighbors had copperheads under a play house
and a dog pen that your local tech took care of a year ago. So
we know that they live in our area. I called your local tech who
advised applying a repellent "like Snake Away" . . . . that is
when I became confused. Your website clearly states that
commercially available repellents DO NOT WORK for copperheads.
Since this is the first time that we have seen a copperhead, is
there anything that we should be doing. The house has no rock
piles, wood piles or untended areas of brush. We do have
numerous pine straw covered beds. And the only time that we ever
saw rats was when we had a bird feeder . . . the bird feeder was
taken down and the rats have not been seen since. Based on you
website recommendations, I think that we should simply watch
carefully. But that is not completely comfortable when we have
our 3 year old granddaughter come to visit . . . she loves the
yard. So please help a confused grandfather. Thank you
My response: Repellents don't work for any snakes. Then again,
I've seen thousands of snakes in my life, and I've never seen a
single copperhead. I'd love to. It's the most commonly
mis-identified snake in America.