edible plants

[gill]

I am preparing for getting a 3 year old tortoise in 2 weeks i have never had one before. I plan to grow her food in pots in the garden and also in her out outdoor enclosure but am i right in thinking i won't be able to buy them from a garden centre due to use of pesticides etc.

 

[Taylor T.]

This website will tell you if plants are edible or not.

http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/

 

[gill]

This website will tell you if plants are edible or not.

http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/

Yes thanks i had seen that and have a list ready to buy I just dont know if I can buy them from a garden centre

 

[RosemaryDW]

You are right that you can't buy them in pots, due to pesticides.

What kind of tortoise do you have? Unless you have a very large enclosure, it's going to be difficult to keep plants alive in there, as your tortoise will trample them down.

You *can* buy things that are for human consumption and plant those. A squash or cucumber plant of any kind will produce great leaves and stems for your tortoise, at least for a while. If it doesn't stay healthy, another one is always cheap.

Other edible plants will be available, near the tomatoes and squash. You should be able to find some "started" heads of kale and chicories there to plant but those items are so easily available in grocery stores, I wouldn't bother. If you can find some started "slips" of turnip, that would be great.

I have just been pondering this very question about what to plant in pots in small areas. I'd look for plants or seeds that are the absolute easiest to grow. With seeds you grow yourself, you don't need to worry about pesticides. There are some great tortoise seed mixes that you can buy but they need a little more space than you may have.

First off I'd get a pad of cactus and plant it. They can take all kinds of neglect. It will take a while but once they get started, they will grow enough cactus for a small tortoise (and eventually for a very large tortoise!). You can buy nice ones at Tyler's pet supply when they are in stock: http://www.tortoisesupply.com/copy-of-cactus-pads-spineless/ or at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010DRMJH6/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20. The Amazon ones are sold as food but you can find instructions on this site for growing the pads.

If it were me, I'd get some or all of the following seeds from my nursery. They are all very common seeds so you shouldn't have trouble finding them. They are all among the easiest seeds to grow:

Nasturtium flowers, any kind. These are super easy to grow; your tortoise can eat the leaves and stems.

Dwarf/container sunflowers, also super easy to grow. They will be labeled as container sunflowers on the package. Your tortoise can eat the leaves and stems, also young flower buds.

Some turnip seeds, easy to grow and high in calcium. If you can't find turnips, radishes are super super easy.

You wouldn't want to feed just one of these, but they are good additions to the spring mix and such you may be buying from the grocery store.