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Non-Commercial Oyster Culture, or Oyster Gardening

Micheal Oesterling and, Christopher Petrone (February, 2012)

Summary

Non-commercial oyster aquaculture, popularly known as “oyster gardening,” has received a great deal of attention throughout the range of the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica. Some people might oyster garden to help restore oyster stocks or improve water quality. (Oysters improve water quality by filtering out algae and sediments, and an adult oyster can pass up to 50 gallons of water per day through its gills.) Other people choose oyster gardening as a way to grow a tasty meal. Regardless of your reasons, oyster gardening can benefit our coastal environment.