8 Uses For Eggshells In The Garden

If you haven’t started already, it is time to start saving your eggshells.

Ground eggshells provide calcium to indoor and outdoor plants when tilled into the soil. They contain calcium carbonate, as well as phosphorus, magnesium, and other nutrients [1].

How to Use Eggshells in Your Garden

Here’s how to prepare and use eggshells for plants and the garden.

1. Fertilizer

Calcium is a nutrient that is crucial for crop development. Stunted growth and curling of new leaves are signs of calcium deficiency in plants.

Using eggshells as fertilizer can slowly add calcium to the soil over time.

Finely crushed eggshells may benefit plants that need calcium for healthy growth. And if apple cork spot is usually a problem, the calcium from ground eggshells may help reduce the risk over time.

To use it as a homemade fertilizer, follow the recipe below. It can be used on both indoor and outdoor plants.

2. Add to Compost

You can compost eggshells by drying them, then grinding them, and adding them to your compost bin. Powdered eggshells will add calcium and other nutrients to your compost.

Moreover, when earthworms arrive in the compost pile, these leftover shells also become very useful. The grit in the crushed shells will aid the worms’ digestion [2].

3. Seed Starter

Biodegradable eggshell halves make perfect containers for starting seeds.

However, you do need to bake them for about 10–15 minutes to kill germs. The shells will be sterilized by the time the oven cools, at no extra cost or effort.

When cool, prick a hole in the bottom of each shell for drainage. Next, add the soil and seeds. The shells can stand neatly in any leftover organic trays or boxes.

When seedlings have grown and are ready to be planted outside, they can go straight into the ground, shells and all. The shells will slowly decompose in the soil.

This is best for small plants like dill or parsley that won’t outgrow the containers too soon.

4. Deter Certain Plant Pests

A layer of crushed shells in the garden is thought to deter a number of pests.

Some people try using eggshells for deer. However, the results are inconsistent and do not work for all gardens.

5. Bird Food

Birds will benefit from a calcium-rich diet of crushed eggshells mixed with regular bird feed. Crush them up finely and add them to the bird feed.

However, eggshells should be washed and baked first to kill bacteria like Salmonella.

6. Mulch

Eggshells also make a good mulch that can look decorative in a brown-and-white mix. This mulch can slowly break down, adding organic matter to the soil over time.

7. Deter Cats

Cats wandering into the garden can be a nuisance; however, they may be averse to eggshells.

Crushed shells spread around plants and along the garden’s borders may discourage some cats, but they do not work for all cats.

After stepping on those sharp edges a few times, some cats will stay away from your garden.

8. Chicken Feed Supplement

What else can you do with eggshells? Feed them to the chickens!

Though it may seem weird to feed it back to the chicken that produced it, it is actually very beneficial.

This recycling produces extra calcium, ensuring the next batch of eggs has nice, hard shells.

Note: Eggshells should be baked and crushed finely so chickens are less likely to recognize them as eggs.

How to Prepare Eggshells for the Garden

It is best to use crushed or powdered shells, which is easy if you have a food processor or grinder.

Simply collect and rinse out the raw stuff still inside the shells. Next, dry the shells and crush them with a rolling pin or your bare hand. You can also grind them into a powder.

Apply a few teaspoons of powdered eggshells directly into the hole of a new plant. You can also sprinkle the crushed shells around the base of outdoor plants and mix the powder into the potting soil of houseplants.

Plants That Like Eggshells

These plants may benefit from calcium-rich soil. They may benefit crops such as tomatoes, peppers, squash, and zucchini.

Other vegetables that need calcium also benefit from it. These include chard, cauliflower, spinach, amaranth, and broccoli.

Try incorporating some powdered or crushed eggshells and coffee grounds into the soil when planting tomatoes. Combining coffee grounds with the shells should give your tomato plants a good start.

Eggshells also help roses become sturdier. They will give your new rose plants a much-needed boost of calcium.

Takeaway

Using eggshells in the garden can slowly add calcium to the soil and deter certain garden pests. Therefore, wash, dry, crush, or grind them, then sprinkle them around potted plants and in garden beds.