CONSERVE & RESTORE - Oyster Gardening in Maryland
How is it done? | Where can you do it? | When can you do it? | Watch a video
Returning Gardeners: Oyster Pickup Schedule
New Gardeners: Workshop Schedule
Thank you for your interest in growing oysters through the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Oyster Gardening Program.
 How is it done?
- To grow oysters, each workshop participant builds a set of four 'oyster cages' made from wire mesh, that will hang from the dock. The gardener also receives several thousand seed oysters. There is a first-time workshop fee of $75.
- Gardeners grow their oysters in the cages for about a year until the oysters are around one to two inches in length.
- The gardener then returns the adult oysters to CBF. Staff plant the oysters onto sanctuary (non-harvest) reef in Maryland waters of the Chesapeake.
- The gardener starts over with a new batch of seed. The hope is that each gardener will continue to produce a new crop of healthy adult oysters year after year.
For a more detailed description of what is involved in growing oysters, read our Frequently Asked Questions About the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Maryland Oyster Gardening Program (Adobe PDF document).
Where can you do it?
Oysters can be grown from a private dock, community pier, marina, waterfront business, friend or neighbor's dock, etc. Read our Adobe PDF document for additional information about which areas have appropriate salinity for growing oysters.
When can you do it?
Workshops and spat pick-ups are held in the late summer and early fall, due to the seasonal availability of hatchery-produced oyster seed. Check the current workshop schedule and spat pick-up schedule.
For more information send an e-mail to MDOysterGardening@cbf.org.
See oyster gardening in action with this video from nbcwashington.com
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