I used to have a large garden garter snake...wished it was still in the sweetpotatoes getting voles and mice.

I have never found snakes to be particularly fond of the potatoes although the density of the plants could provide a nice, cool location for them in the heat of the day. My opinion though is one has to be aware when working with any plants in the garden, it is habitat and respecting that is important. When working among plants, watch where you walk, where you place your hands, etc. In my area, that also means wear proper clothes, like gloves on the hands, closed toe shoes, etc.

The best way to avoid being surprised by a snake is to make a ruckus by stomping your feet. By announcing your presence with vibrations, most snakes will make a hasty, but temporary retreat.

I say 'most' because I've a couple of snakes follow me around in the garden, learning that I would scare up an assortment of snacks upon occasion.

If you have an irrational fear, a phobia, of snakes, you can greatly improve your comfort level by learning as much as you can about the snakes that you are likely to come across. There are some great snake and reptile field guides available and they can be a terrific way to learn how to recognize snakes and what kind of behavior to expect from them.

Snakes are a welcome visitor in my gardens........my husband is unnerved by them (to put it mildly), but we rarely come across one. Foot stomping works.

My resident garter and black snakes love my potato patches for several reasons and I'm happy to have them live there. But as rhizo said they prefer to haul ass for awhile as soon as they hear me coming.

Dave

All I can say is that I've never encountered a snake in my potatoes... Or in my garden at all. But that doesn't mean I'll never find one there. There are the big rat snakes which hang out around the barn, but I rarely see any other snakes.

Sometimes snakes don't scare easily. Last year I watered my tomatoes with a wand. I figured all was well. Then I was trying to figure out which tomato was which by counting the tomato stems which were well covered with foliage. I placed my hand on the ground and felt it move. I lifted the foliage to get a better look and there was a resting coiled rattle snake. I checked back an hour later and it was still there. Water didn't scare him away and neither did a tap on his back! The next day he was gone.

Yes, water does not scare them. We tried flushing a rattler out of some rocks by our house and that did not work. Shaking bushes can help.

Educate yourself about snakes in your area. If there are no dangerous ones - just learn to live with them).

I do see snakes (lots of garter snakes, as well as some green snakes and milk snakes) in my garden, but never in the veggies. I think they prefer areas near the stone walls where they can hide if they feel threatened and where there are lots of voles and mice. In my veggie garden there are fewer areas to hide and it's more open, which I think is less comfortable for the snakes. I live in an area where there are no poisonous snakes and in general temperatures and soils are cooler than they might be in many other parts of the county. So I don't need to be scared of our snakes, and they tend to hang out in more open areas where they can warm up but I usually see them before I get close enough to scare them.

Holy crap, zeuspaul. I don't really have a phobia of snakes, but that would have freaked me out!