HAMPTON, Va. — For Claire Neubert, gardening is one of her favorite hobbies... but it's not the kind of gardening you may have in mind.
"We were sharing our oyster love here at Sunset Boating Center and taking care of the oysters that are helping to take care of us," she said.
Neubert is the site captain for this aquatic garden.
"What we're doing is tending our gardens. We're making sure that the weeds of our garden, which are crabs that get inside the garden and grow and then can't get out. We don't want them in there, because they enjoy eating our oysters."
As captain, Neubert helps educate people about oysters and all of the benefits they provide.
"Our cages also provide habitat for a lot of species. They're like mini coral reefs, hanging from the piling."
To these gardeners, taking care of these oysters is no big deal.
"So we clean them and take care of them until June when we'll turn them back into the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and then they'll be placed on a sanctuary reef."
Neubert wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
"Although it's chilly down here, it's pretty nice to be by the water. It's my kind of yoga."