Join a Long Island oyster community garden to help clean the bays and enjoy the bounty 

Chuck Quinn, a member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation, doesn’t just love to eat oysters, he raises them in a community garden in Southold.

“I like eating them, and the process of growing them is a challenge,” said Quinn, 70, who has been growing oysters for more than 20 years.

While most people may be happy to buy or order shellfish, some Long Islanders prefer to grow them on their own — and even those without waterfront property can do so through a community oyster garden. These programs expand the number of nitrogen-filtering mollusks growing in our waterways with the help of volunteers.

Kim Tetrault, community aquaculture specialist for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, said there are about 300 people in the Suffolk Project in Aquaculture Training, or SPAT, program, based in Southold. Members typically pay $200 annually for 1,000 “seed” or baby oysters (also called spat), and help to grow them. Participants also get a line, cages and advice from Tetrault, whose organization starts the process with dozens of brood oysters that can spawn millions of seed. Members can raise oysters at a program site or at their own docks, which requires a state permit.

Maintaining an oyster garden takes a few hours each week during the peak growing season — late spring through fall. The work includes keeping the cages clean and handling the oysters using various techniques to promote good growth. Generally, oyster gardens require no maintenance from December to May, which is convenient for snowbirds.

Some towns offer programs to residents, among them East Hampton, which charges $250 to take part in its community oyster gardens at several sites across the town.

Participants in some programs can keep what they grow, but others are raised to restock the bays. There are often restrictions against selling the bivalves.

Tetrault said oyster gardening is a novelty and can be a conversation starter.

“It’s like saying your hot air balloon is on the side of the garage,” he said.