Who grows their own plants and vegetables?

[ZEROPILOT]

I grow the spineless variety.
I must warn you that they also have spines. Just a lot fewer of them.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

More of my half baked garden.
Mostly cultivated weeds that I found nearby.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

I grow the spineless variety.
I must warn you that they also have spines. Just a lot fewer of them.

I learned this the hard, painful way...

 

[Pearly]

I learned this the hard, painful way...

Hahaha! Same here! Can barely see them but, boy! Do they hurt your hands!!!!

 

[Jennifer M]

I have posted a new thread for soil advice

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/153969/

 

[Alicia Hoogstra]

I have just started growing little "Luna" food, I have actually been growing a bunch of these plants for years! Lol Luna is my tiny Sulcata and will soon be joined by a friend "Lilly" a leopard tortoise.

 

[Alicia Hoogstra]

I also have several more in my perennial flower beds!! Lots of succulents, sea holly, and many more! I'm in MI and would be happy to share anything I have!!

 

[Greta16]

Is there someone on here that grows their own spineless Optunia that would sell some that I could grow? I'd like to make a sort of Tort salad dressing with it since she doesn't touch her Mazuri...

 

[Alicia Hoogstra]

"Luna" just found her yummy African Violet flowers!

 

[RosemaryDW]

Is there someone on here that grows their own spineless Optunia that would sell some that I could grow?

They sell it at Tyler's Tortoise Supply although they look to be out of stock right now. http://www.tortoisesupply.com/copy-of-cactus-pads-spineless/

It's pretty easy to find on Amazon as well, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005UYWCRK/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

 

[CalifornianReptile]

Hahaha! Same here! Can barely see them but, boy! Do they hurt your hands!!!!

Yup they are painful!

 

[Greta16]

They sell it at Tyler's Tortoise Supply although they look to be out of stock right now. http://www.tortoisesupply.com/copy-of-cactus-pads-spineless/

It's pretty easy to find on Amazon as well, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005UYWCRK/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Thanks, I'll check it out. ☺

 

[Loohan]

I have some spineless opuntia i found growing wild here about 20 years ago and planted here. I'm in Ag Zone 7A. In a real brutal winter with 0 degree weather, some of the pads will get mushy. Some of those will recover somewhat in the summer.
They have the "invisible" tiny fiberglas-like spikes. Since i only have a couple little boxies, i just pick a pad occasionally, and wearing leather gloves, rub it down well with a rag to remove the itchies. Warning, the rag can attack you after that if left unwashed. Then i store it in the fridge, occasionally cutting off a thin long strip.

My mid-size boxie Felter has started devouring a lot of this again lately. He ate some last summer but didn't eat much in the way of vegs during the winter. But now he is being a good kid and eating a lot of cactus again.
My 3-year-old Rorg, seldom nibbles much at vegs yet.

 

[HeatherFeather76]

I favor square foot gardening.


View attachment 203813

This is great I have some of these! Going to dig out of shed tonight! This why I love this forum so much great info thanks!

 

[Greta16]

Does anyone know if these relatives of optunia are as good for torts?

 

[CalifornianReptile]

Want food should I feed my marginated tortoises
I used to feed them lambs and romaine lettuce but a Facebook page said u can only feed them fresh weeds and flowers

The secret to a good diet is having VARIED Diet. It's always best to give your tortoises a good wide range of weeds, flowers, succulents, cacti, leaves, fruits, grasses, and plants. I like to feed all Greek Tortoises some safe weeds around the yard that are safe to eat. For example, Dandelion plant & flowers, plantain, Bermuda grass, hibiscus flowers and leaves, safe succulents, spineless prickly pear, and alfalfa. ect..
I mix all these plants into a bowl and chop them up if necessary.
Here's a good website that helps with identifying safe and unsafe plants: http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk
Hope this helped!

 

[euryhogs]

Looking at doing the square foot garden myself, but unsure of what I can use for the tort food. Would you say that this (http://www.diy.com/departments/verve-tub-basket-compost-50l/258302_BQ.prd) would be a good thing to start with? It says it's organic but that could just be a meaningless phrase, what do you think?

Was worried about the vermiculite and found that the coir is just as good.

 

[Loohan]

I have some spineless opuntia...

They have the "invisible" tiny fiberglas-like spikes. Since i only have a couple little boxies, i just pick a pad occasionally, and wearing leather gloves, rub it down well with a rag to remove the itchies. Warning, the rag can attack you after that if left unwashed...

My mid-size boxie Felter has started devouring a lot of this again lately. He ate some last summer but didn't eat much in the way of vegs during the winter. But now he is being a good kid and eating a lot of cactus again.
My 3-year-old Rorg, seldom nibbles much at vegs yet.

Warning! Something i never noticed until i did my wash yesterday. Maybe it was a fuller load than usual; maybe i had more spines in the rag. But now the other clothes i washed with the rag have little itchies, and the rag still has many.

Also, a few days ago little Rorg finally started eating the cactus strips! Ate quite a bit of it the other day. And has nibbled on Houttuynia leaf some since. About time, at age 3, he showed interest in veggies.

 

[Robber]

. I think in Ohio weather you can very successfully grow any kind of opuntia in pot as long as you are willing to bring it in to protect from the freeze which to me is a lot more work than I'm willing/able to do

I'm able to do it in Missouri - bring them in when lows start getting in 30s, out when lows are staying in the 50s. They seem to do well and actually grew a fair amount while inside during the winter this past year.

 

[Alicia Hoogstra]

I have the native Optunia growing in my "dry" bed here in MI....however, they have BIG pricklies (lol) all over them.