The Hazards of Debris in Vegetable Gardens

• Snakes hide under debris in the garden. Paul E Tessier/Photodisc/Getty Images

  Clearing the garden of debris creates a safer and healthier environment for plants and for the gardener. Debris includes rocks, wooden boards, clippings, dead plants, branches, old fences and posts. Keep compost materials, such as kitchen peelings, coffee grinds and eggshells, in the compost heap until they've completely decomposed. Start with a tidy garden and keep it clean throughout the season.

Injury

• An old board with rusted nails can cause a nasty cut that becomes infected. Injury to pets and people arise when working in a littered area. Wear gloves as a protection against cuts. If you do get scratched, or the skin bleeds, wash immediately with soap and water. Keep pets out of gardens for their own safety and yours. Pet waste from carnivorous animals should be removed immediately from the vegetable garden. Injury also can occur if you hit a rock you didn't know was there when working with the shovel or pick axe.

Unwanted Pests

• Debris provides hiding places for slugs, snails and other pests. An overturned board is the perfect place for slugs to wait during the day until they come out at night to eat lettuce and other plants. Rotting vegetables attract rats, which can carry disease, and mice. Snakes are attracted by vermin. Although, by far, most snakes are not venomous, all have the potential to bite if provoked or cornered. Old boards or rotting wood provides a hiding place for snakes as well.

Plant Diseases

• Most plant diseases are caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses and nematodes, according the University of Georgia. Leaving infected plants in the garden spreads disease. Remove and destroy old plants or plants you think may be infected. Treat at the first sign of infection. A few yellow spotted leaves on your pepper plants may not seem like a problem, but a fungus-caused disease like verticullium can kill the whole plant. Some diseases, such as blight, can spread from one type of plant, such as tomatoes, to another, such as potatoes. Don't use diseased plants in the compost heap.

Tool Damage

• Besides interfering with the root growth of vegetable plants, rocks and stones in the garden damage tools by blunting the cutting edges or snapping off the handles. Put the rocks to use as borders for the garden. Keep tools sharp by wiping them off with oil after usage and storing them in a dry place. Disinfect tools that come into contact with diseased plants by wiping with a bleach solution.