Home » Grow your own »
Many people don’t know how eggshells can be useful in the garden and help in many ways. If you are wondering what to do with egg shells, keep on reading. We are about to see how eggshells can improve our compost, fertilize our garden and even keep some common pests away.
EGGSHELLS IN THE COMPOST BIN
A common question is whether eggshells can be thrown in the compost bin. Well, the answer is absolutely yes!
Adding eggshells to your compost will provide additional calcium to your final compost that you will use to fertilize your beloved plants.
Calcium is an important nutrient that helps plants build cell walls. In its absence or scarcity, the plants grow slowly and, in the case of some vegetables such as tomatoes and zucchini, their fruits may develop tip rot.
The deficiency results in burns and necrosis in both the roots and the shoots of the plant. Using eggshells in garden composting can help prevent this.
You don’t need to crush eggshells before composting them, but shredding them will speed up their decomposing and release their compounds, including calcium. You can also consider rinsing eggshells before composting them so they don’t attract insects.
Earth Worm Castings – Compost Soil Amendment – 1 Gallon / 6 Lbs
ADD EGGSHELLS TO SOIL
Eggshells can also be added directly to soil. Many people scatter eggshells in the ground especially where they intend to plant tomatoes, peppers, courgettes and other vegetables that are susceptible to root rot.
Spreading eggshells directly with the plants at the time of sowing will not help the plants this season as those won’t have enough time to decompose, however their compounds will be available for the next season. Eggshells in the ground as in the compost bin need time to decompose and release their compounds.
EGGSHELLS IN THE GARDEN AGAINST SNAILS
Eggshells can also be used in the garden to fight parasites such as slugs, snails and other crawling parasites. Crushed eggshells work much like diatomaceous earth on these parasites.
When these cross an area of the garden where crushed eggshells have been scattered, the eggshells would make small cuts in the parasites which leads them to dehydrate and suffer from this. This simple trick will keep them away from your dear seedlings and greens.
After the eggshells have been crushed as finely as possible, sprinkle them around the areas of your garden where you have problems with snails and other crawling pests. Better if the pieces of shell are as small as possible. To do this, just use a mortar or a bag to store the shells and crush them with a bottle or hammer until you have obtained a sandy like product.
You can put eggshells in compost, in the soil or use them as a kind of organic repellent. By doing this you will reduce the volume of waste produced , but above all, you are helping your garden to be more productive.
Plant Success Organics Granular Mycorrhizae 3-1-2
post-tea”>Buy Now</a></div>