Gardening for tortoises

[Itort]

I've noticed that many outdoor enclosures are very functional but rather sterile and unattrative. I'm wondering with spring coming on if anyone has any suggestions on what to grow in with torts that is both attrative to the eye and good for torts. An example of this may be what I plan for my forest torts, i.e. hibiscus, hosta (attracts slugs and snails,yummy), rose bushes, bellflowers, spiderwort, elephant ear(for the burmese mountain only) and of course "weeds".

[emysemys]

I broadcast viola, pansy and any other type of flower seeds that I find attractive over the dirt in my box turtle pens. For the grazing tortoises, I broadcast vegetable seeds over the grass. The veggies never bear fruit because the animals eat the plants as they sprout. I have to keep the yellowfoot pen pretty humid, so I have quite a few different types of shrubs planted in their area, including a black fig tree and a banana tree. In the pens where there has to be lots of sunshine, I have old gnarled grape stumps, eucalyptus branches, large rocks or boulders as site barriers. Really, the sky's the limit.

Yvonne

[cvalda]

good question! I would like to know this too, but add in what can be grown that is ALSO really hard to kill, 'cause I have a black thumb!

[Josh]

when i get enough land, i fully intend on building a mini-horse corral for my desert torts to cruise around on.

[Crazy1]

Kelly the nice thing is most of the plants seeds I broadcast are like zinnia, sweet allisym, sunfloweres, poppys and panzies Just add water and you get some to grow. But none get to grow very big. The torts seems to love the new sprouts, chomp, chomp and they are down to dirt and those sporatic blades of grass again. I do grow other stuff but in planters for them. This year I am trying a grazing area outside the pen. I can place the torts in there as long as I am out there to watch them. So maybe I will get some flowers. I always thought I had a black thumb until I got my torts and found just throwing seeds and watering them got them going.

[JustAnja]

Yvonne what veggie seeds are you broadcasting? Obviously we dont want to broadcast tomato seeds since their leaves can be toxic so just wondering what all your putting out there.

[Redfootedboxturtles]

grow herbs. They grow fast and torts love them. Parsley and basil.

[Itort]

I'm planting native grasses, prickly pear, prairie rose and native daisy type flowers in stars enclosure with three dividers to rotate grazing. In the RFs enclosure, I'm broadcasting a viola,nasturim,vegi, and bellflower mix with hosta, daylily and hibiscus plants for shelter and food. This is also to be sectioned for rotation. Of course any weeds volunteering are to be encouraged.