HCA: Hermit Crab Association

We are setting up a vegetable garden and we are planning on using organic seeds and our old substrate as our fertilizer, going all organic. If we water these plants with water out of the hose, would the chlorine and heavy metals be an issue with growing into the plants? I would love to be able to feed our little guys with some fresh home grown veggies but I want to make sure they are safe first!

I could be wrong but I don't think organic gardening extends to special watering or such farms couldn't indulge it. If you're concerned perhaps you could collect rain water in a rain or trash barrel and scoop from that. I wouldn't divert water off the roof though (like from a rain gutter into the barrel) as it collects impurities along the way.I love the idea of recycling the substrate but depending on the salt content in it since many of us hydrate initially with salt water to prevent mold growth in our humid environments it could kill your plants. Might want to grow some in clean EE and a test batch in recycled sub and see how they fare.Good luck, I can hear your hermies cheering now.

I didn't even consider the salt, thank you for pointing that out. Good thing we haven't started yet!

I'm growing some herbs, and vegies and some leaf lettece in my tank, I will have t see how they turn out with the salt water. I have successfully grown chia seeds and flowers in my tank before even with the salted eco earth. Does any body know if sunflowers are crab safe?

That's a cool idea! But I second the warning about salt.I don't think chlorine will be an issue, because it's present in gas form in the tap water and so should rise out in the open air.If you're thinking about organic gardening, consider using predator urine as a furry garden thief deterrent.

I just planted 2 cabbages and 2 leaf lettece plants, I dug holes in the crabitat filled them with worm castings and planted the plants in that.

As gross as it sounds, the predator urine seems like a really good idea, thank you! I'm just waiting for our "frost date" to pass so I can begin planting.

@HermitcrabingridnewbieSunflower Seeds (crushed), flowers and leaves (Helianthus)no saltgo to the zoea list on the forum page and there is a huge list of foods you can feed to them

Ok thanks, I meant to grow but I guess Ill just wait till next year