Dream turtle garden for water & box turtles

[TortsNTurtles]

Turtle pond for water turtles ~*There is something about sub-zero temperatures that make me think about warm green turtle gardens. So much for global warming lol I really like the look of a galvanized pond. Is it a bad idea for turtles? Anyone use one for their pond? I liked this link for planing plants in the pond. http://www.penick.net/digging/?p=3376 Myrtle is like a Russian in water she is always rearranging her tank so I don't know how many plants will work with her. I also thought of a smaller matching pond to grow aquatic plants for her to eat. Does any one grow their aquatic plants for their turtles?

 

[terryo]

I think that's really great, but you can get a 100 gal preformed pond for much less than $300 at home depot. I got a 60 gal. preformed pond for $40 and sunk it into a planter . The walls were high enough with a capped edge so the turtle couldn't get out, but could climb on to the garden part and hibernate in a pile of leaf litter in the Winter. I only had one water turtle that I had since she was a hatchling so the 40 gal worked out well and she had plenty of land space too.

 

[kathyth]

Terry,

Your poem is heavenly! I can just picture the peace and joy this brings!
Thank you for sharing it!
😊😊😊😊😊

 

[TortsNTurtles]

Wow, that is a beautiful pond! Your gardens are amazing. I didn't realize they could hibernate like the box turtles out of water! What kind of water turtle did you have is it a northern cold hardy species?

 

[terryo]

It is an Eastern Painted turtle. They are all over the ponds here. They will hibernate in the mud on the bottom of the pond or in leaf litter near a pond. We have a lot of ponds where I live and we see them all the time.
Thank you all for the nice compliments.

 

[TortsNTurtles]

Thanks I will have to add an Eastern to the turtle pond

 

[Jacqui]

This is the small pond I have in the garden now.

Terry what is the big leafed plant on the right hand side?

 

[julietteq]

My favorite box turtle site.
http://turtle_tails.tripod.com/backyardturtles/byttour1.htm

This website is amazing! Love what they have done. Those are some lucky turtles out there!

 

[terryo]

It is a little fig tree. I have one in all my gardens.

 

[lynnedit]

I just love that poem, Terryo. I can feel summer.

Do you have to keep the fig tree pruned back so it stays smaller?

http://www.tadege.com/diyfilter.htm

I love information on DIY. I think Yvonne has a post about a DIY filter for her large outdoor pond.

 

[terryo]

Yes Lynne. I prune it in early Spring before it blooms. I only prune the ones in the turtle and tortoise gardens. the big one in the veggie garden I just let grow wild. I have a honey fig in a big pot that has to come in for the Winter and that one goes in the garage. The turtles and tort love the figs and eat loads of them all Summer.

 

[lynnedit]

I'm full o' questions! Do the pruned ones still make figs?

 

[terryo]

Yes they do. Loads of figs all Summer. The box turtles will sit under the tree and eat the ones that the birds pick on and fall to the ground. They love them. I make jars of fig jam from the big tree and we have it all Winter. I think they are great to have in any turtle or tortoise garden.

 

[lynnedit]

Thank you. That's going on my list for this year!

 

[Jacqui]

I really have no luck at all, when trying to grow either figs or cactus. My one remaining fig outside has lived for three years now, but is still only about a foot tall.

 

[Yvonne G]

For a biological filter I used the idea from the Skippy site:

http://www.skippysstuff.com/biofiltr.htm

...but I didn't buy any of the stuff from them. I bought it local. For medium I went to the dollar store and bought pot scrubbers that look like scotch bright, folded them so they weren't flat. The filter I made for my 600 gallon water trough/snapping turtle has been working for over a year and I haven't cleaned it yet...still works great.

The one I made for my pond in the ground doesn't work so hot. The pond is just a big hole in the ground, no liner or anything, so the filter has filled up with sediment/sludge from the pond bottom. It worked for about 2 years before it got filled up with sediment. It really needs to be cleaned out and figure out a different way other than pot scrubbers, but I don't have the inclination to do so.

 

[lynnedit]

It sure sounds like that works well for a preformed or lined pond, though.

 

[TortsNTurtles]

Wow, I am enjoying all the ideas. Thanks for the filter information.

I love the fig tree idea! Jam sounds wonderful too. Is there any other favorite plants or trees you would recommend?

 

[lynnedit]

Keep your eyes open for dwarf Mulberry trees. Coastal silk worms sells them on this forum seasonally.

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Also plant a few strawberry plants, and even a dwarf blueberry.

 

[terryo]

Yes wild strawberry plants are great in a turtle garden too. They spread like crazy and produce fruit in late June an then again during the Summer. The turtles love the strawberries.