Projo — Gathering seaweed is protected in RI's constitution. Here's why you should give it a try.

People harvest seaweed at Barrington Beach. Seaweed is an excellent natural fertilizer and mulch that is abundantly available on local beaches. David DelPoio/The Providence Journal

June 27, 2024

By Antonia Noori Farzan

Unable to afford fertilizer back in the Azores, Raymond Xavier's great-grandfather would gather seaweed and plow it into the ground.

The family later made its way to Providence, where Xavier's grandfather continued the tradition by enriching his backyard garden with seaweed harvested from India Point.

Today, Xavier uses the seaweed that he collects on South County's beaches to grow 16-foot-tall sunflowers and 12-foot-tall hollyhocks at his home in Snug Harbor, South Kingstown.

"The soil gets real fluffy," he said. "It doesn’t compact like dirt does. The roots don't have any resistance, so they can just grow crazy."

Seaweed has been used as fertilizer since at least Roman times. Early Rhode Island farmers used oxcarts to haul it from the shoreline, a practice protected under the state's constitution. Scientists have since confirmed that it's a valuable source of nutrients that results in more productive gardens and lusher lawns.

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