What garden plant waste can be fed?

mproko

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I know squash and pumpkin leaves are approved. I've fed them radish tops which they eat happily. Any reason I can't feed them tomato plant leaves?
 

dmmj

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the tomato plant is part of the nightshade family. It's advised not to feed them the leaves and clippings as they may be toxic. No one knows absolutely for sure so most don't risk it.
 

mproko

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Thanks everyone! This is a great place to come for info. I would have never known about the squash type leaves. Sometimes I'll mush a tomato into something they don't regularly eat that they should just to get them to eat it.
 

Chanchara

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Tortoise will not eat something that is not tasty

In the photo, my tortoise calmly walks between tomatoes and do not even think of eating ...:D

 

Blakem

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Carrot tops, watermelon leaves, butternut squash leaves, spaghetti squash leaves, squash flowers if all types. When the squash flowers dfall off, I feed them
 

Prairie Mom

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I second @Blake m 's post! I'd also add cucumber vine, bean vines, grape leaves, strawberry leaves, beet tops...
 

Katy1986

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A book I have states that tortoises can eat tomatoes but not the leaves as they are poisonous.
 

mproko

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The good news is my squash plants suck this year from a squash perspective. At least I can use the leaves to feed my tortoises.
 

Prairie Mom

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The good news is my squash plants suck this year from a squash perspective. At least I can use the leaves to feed my tortoises.
It's comforting isn't it! Now that I have a tortoise my garden has become even more useful.

I just wanted to pass on that you can preserve squash for winter feeding too. When I'm ready to pull the plants out, I air dry my squash leaves in an old empty kiddy pool and I chop up and freeze the stems. Here's a post I made with photos... These can be frozen, thawed, and retain good texture!
 

mproko

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It's comforting isn't it! Now that I have a tortoise my garden has become even more useful.

I just wanted to pass on that you can preserve squash for winter feeding too. When I'm ready to pull the plants out, I air dry my squash leaves in an old empty kiddy pool and I chop up and freeze the stems. Here's a post I made with photos... These can be frozen, thawed, and retain good texture!
You have a very useful link there. I think my goal is to feed them for free or close to nothing next year. Ironically it seems to be better for them also. My garden planting will change to support them more now.
 

Prairie Mom

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You have a very useful link there. I think my goal is to feed them for free or close to nothing next year. Ironically it seems to be better for them also. My garden planting will change to support them more now.
Very cool goal. Good luck with it:D
 

TammyJ

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I guess I am suspicious of a plant in which you can feed the fruit but not the leaves, or the other way around. I would just avoid that plant altogether until I knew why one part is OK and another is not...
 

JoesMum

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As said before, the tomato is part of the nightshade family and the plant is poisonous. The same applies to potato plants which are also in the nightshade family.

However, the fruit of the tomato is safe. It's just very sugary and hence not suitable to feed frequently to certain species of torts (eg Greeks, Russians, Hermanns, Sulcata, Leopard...) as they cannot digest sugars properly causing digestive and kidney problems if fed to excess.
 

Kapidolo Farms

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I guess I am suspicious of a plant in which you can feed the fruit but not the leaves, or the other way around. I would just avoid that plant altogether until I knew why one part is OK and another is not...


So no stone fruit with pits for you?
 

Anyfoot

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My reds will pick off the strawberries, but never eat the leaves, I've seen them try the leaves and spit them out.

@TammyJ, when I feed my adult redfoots plums, I throw them in whole, they have to work for the food, first it rolls all over until they eventually pierce them, then tare them apart, they eat the lot, pit(stone) and all.
Same with mango, they gnaw around the huge pit for hours getting every last piece of fruit, its good beak work. Obviously they don't eat the mango pit, it's too big
 
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