Be careful when gardening. Our slithery friends like to occupy our space as well.

It may be your thing, and that is OK, but it just isn’t mine. I am not interested in the snake argument. And regardless of where you stand on the snake argument, there are some things worth sharing.

Not snakes. I will leave that up to someone who enjoys them more than I do.

I usually try to leave snakes alone, but I have found in my gardening time, they want to share the same space I’m in. I have no doubt that either of us do it on purpose, but it does happen.

Like when I am scooping soil from my potting soil bag into little pots. Once that bag is open it can become a nice cozy sleeping arrangement for slinky little critters. I do not know if they are poisonous slinky snake critters as I do not hang around to ask. I usually go in the house since the soil bag is not the only thing that is “soiled.”

Once I gain my composure, I usually go back and pour the soil out or get one of my sons to go through it for me to resume my potting.

The other day, I was mixing some soil from a pot of something I was trying to root. I found the root trying to sprout near the bottom of the pot. I was so excited, I did not notice the snake that fell out of my hands. I thought it was a root until I saw it moving. My daughter-in-law noticed, and I do not think snakes are her favorite either.

Once, I found one in the wreath on my front door trying to look all cute and pretty with the flowers. I think she was posing.

When I am moving larger pots in the backyard, I tilt the pot away from me to give anything sleeping underneath time to leave. I say leave, as in go away from me, compared to come toward me.

Once we were digging a hole to plant a shrub, and lo and behold, some mama snake had found a place to cozy up with her babies under the ground. They all came out to visit or were really upset that I disrupted their home. They were pretty ribbon snakes, but that is as far as I will go. I have a friend who dug up a shrub and had the same experience.

Garden on. Just remember our fellow gardeners, the four-legged, two-legged and no-legged are there, too. They just do not pull weeds.

The Smith County Master Gardener program is a volunteer organization in connection with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.