Save those eggshells! Seriously save them for these 5 reasons to use eggshells in the garden. Eggshells are nature’s wonderful garden resource. They are filled with calcium carbonate which is a rich resource for your backyard gardens.
But the calcium benefit is not the only benefit – perhaps just the obvious. But there are several reasons to use eggshells in the garden that we want to share with you today so that you can reuse those eggshells for a beneficial purpose!
We save our egg shells for many purposes. We primarily use leftover eggshells in the garden, thus the reason for sharing this post with you and those 5 reasons below. But you can also use them to sharpen the blades of your garbage disposal. So don’t just throw them away, even if you are not growing a garden this year, strengthen your garbage disposal. Either way…save those eggshells!
But that is really not the point of this article. What we want to talk about are natural gardening solutions using eggs – these will save you money and improve garden quality and effectiveness.
The solutions we share below are also super easy to implement. I have come across many gardening (and other life category) ideas and I get all excited, but then I realize that I just simply don’t have time to implement some really cool ideas. So I absolutely love ideas that are both frugal and easy for my vegetable gardens.
5 Reasons to Use Eggshells in the Garden
1. Use Eggshells in the Garden for Natural Pest Control
Our first and favorite use is for natural pest control in our food gardens! We try to grow organic gardens in our square foot garden boxes and although weeds are kept at bay, pests are not always. Well, eggshells are a great solution for some pests like slugs, beetles, snails, etc.
For crawling pests, the egg shells are like shards of glass. They will not cross it to get to it! You can crush the egg shells by hand with a fork into fine pieces and sprinkle on the bottoms of the stems where your plants are growing.
For flying pests, you will want to finely grind your egg shells in a food processor/blender/coffee grinder as the egg shell dust will get under the wings and into the various parts of the beetles and other flying pests and act like glass for them as well. You can actually sprinkle the entire plant with the hand ground or finely ground egg shells, depending on what you are trying to deter. You will need to reapply ever so often – so just keep your egg shells and add them each time you have some to add to a spot in your garden!
This works great and is a natural and totally safe solution for your growing garden – in fact, it is not only natural, it is actually nourishing for some of your foods too. Which leads me to my next great garden use!
2. Use Eggshells in the Garden for Calcium Enricher for Tomatoes, Pepper and Eggplants (HA – Eggplants ;))
The next fabulous reason to use eggshells in the garden is for providing your tomato, pepper and eggplants with calcium! One common problem for these veggie plants is that they will get blossom end rot from a lack of calcium! Eggshells are a great frugal and natural solution to the problem!
You can do this a couple of ways:
1. Hand crushed eggshells at the base for pest control and calcium enrichment. As your plants are watered, the eggshells will release calcium slowly, providing a gradual supplement to your plant.
2. You can also add crushedegg shells at the time of planting in the seed or plant hole.
This is also great for regular potted plants of all kinds, whether indoors or out!
3. Use Eggshells in the Garden for Compost
Another great reason to use eggshells in the garden is for your compost pile or bin! Eggshells add many nutrients to your compost soil and add calcium boosts that your future foods and plants will love. So if you are in excess or out of ideas on how to use them…. just throw them away in your compost instead of the kitchen garbage!
While we are on the subject of composting, learn about the 101 Things to Compost, and the Things You Shouldn’t.
4. Use Eggshells in the Garden for Calcium Enriched Water
Your vegetable garden and other plants will love a bit of a calcium boost! You can turn your regular garden water into a calcium-enriching garden with this easy, frugal solution. You can make a calcium enriched water by finely grinding eggshells to a powder in a food processor, coffee grinder, etc. and then add this eggshell powder to your watering can. Stir it up and water these plants with it.
This is also a great indoor plant use too!
5. Use Eggshells in the Garden to Start Seedlings
Finally, another fantastic reason to use eggshells in the garden is to be a decomposable, natural, calcium-rich container for your seedlings. Empty, full eggshells are perfect size and container for your seeds.
Then, when you are ready to plant your seedlings, you can simply place the entire egg shell in the ground. Thus you actually have a better chance of your seedling surviving when you don’t have to “shake it out” of it’s starting container. Plus, did I mention it loves the calcium? Yes, I have, but just in case you didn’t catch it the first few times… eggshells are perfect for this solution too!
There you have it! Five reasons to use eggshells in the garden this year and beyond. We are sure there are other uses for eggshells besides these 5 garden ones and the one garbage disposal trick…so please share away in the comments!
Before your crush or grind your egg shells, you will want to rinse them off and let them air dry for a day or two.
There you have it! Five reasons to use eggshells in the garden this year and beyond. We are sure there are other uses for eggshells besides these 5 garden ones and the one garbage disposal trick…so please share away in the comments!
See more ideas in our Garden Category
See more ideas about all things eggs – they are incredible!
Stephanie
I’ve “known” this for a while, but have yet to put it into practice. Thanks for the reminder! I just rinsed off a couple of shells I used when making brownies earlier. 🙂
Cassie
YAY! I just keep a container on my counter and then rinse them all quickly and let them dry for a bit. I then use them right away as something outside needs an eggshell refill. 🙂
Karen
I rinsed them well, dried them then hand crushed them! I added them to my houseplants, trying to work them into the soil. Soon I had tiny flying insects all around the soil. What did I do wrong? I took all the top layer of soil and shells out and added new soil.
susan @ the wimpy vegetarian
I’ve been having some pest problems in my vegetable garden, so this is perfect timing!!
Cassie
Oh good! It is always so disappointing to put money, time and effort into a garden just to feed the little critters! 🙂
Laura
We keep chickens, and I feed their eggshells back to them (after drying them and putting them through the food processor), so that I don’t have to feed them a calcium supplement. So I always have a bowl of eggshells on the counter. I hadn’t thought of putting them around my tomatoes, though. Thanks for the idea!
Usually how I dry the shells out is this: Once I get a good amount (takes about 3 days in our house), I put them on a sheet in the oven when it is warm. I don’t want to use electricity just to dry eggshells, but I will put them in the oven say, just after I made muffins. The eggshells get brittle and crispy after only a few minutes. Then I place them in the food processor. The chickens love the eggshells, I hope my tomatoes do as well!
Barbara Radisalvjeivc
I save the eggshells, but its hard to get Hubby to do it. There’s only room on the counter for one garbage container where I am now, and I I’m not normally the one that uses the eggs or the coffee grounds, and I know Hubby isn’t going to go outside to put them in special jars. I appreciated your instructions on how to best use these. I have usually just crushed them with my hands.
Debbie
I save all my eggshells by putting them in a plastic bag in the freezer until I need them. Works great.
Cassie
Great idea!
Chris Esau
I’m single so don’t use a lot of eggs but when I doi put them in zip lock bags in the freezer. When I planted my garden this spring I put them ina blender with about 4 table spoons of cinnamon and water and put them in my raised garden …I have feral cats in my yard and the cinnamon is supposed to keep cats from using your garden for a litter box. In the past I’ve had problems with blossom end rot on my tomatoes and peppers I’m hoping the egg shells will be the cure .
Michele
Thanks for the reminder of how useful eggshells are in the garden. I do save the water from boiled eggs to use on my house plants, and I used to compost them. I will now start using them in the garden….my eggplants are going to be tickled purple!
Meghan@EcoFriendlySaver
These tips are great! I knew that you could deter slugs and snails with eggshells, but I didn’t know that it works for beetles too. We add eggshells to our indoor composting worm bin to deter gnats/fruit flies from taking up residency there. Thanks so much for sharing.
Barbara
I’m never too old to learn new things. I did know some of the things BUT I’m disappointed there wasn’t a “print” option. I’m printing all articles for my kids and grandkids so they can be better gardeners.
Sue
I make my dogs food and always add some powdered egg shells.
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