5 Ways to Use Eggshells in Your Garden

A normal person looks at an egg and thinks “omelet” or “frittata.” A gardener (especially one who tends to be on the obsessive end of the spectrum) looks at an egg and thinks “yes! Eggshells!”

Five Ways to Use Eggshells in Your Garden

1. Add crushed eggshells to the bottom of planting holes, especially for tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. These crops are susceptible to blossom end rot, which is caused by calcium deficiency. While this deficiency is most often caused by improper watering, there’s no harm in making sure your plants have a steady source of calcium. As the eggshells break down, they’ll nourish the soil, and your plants.

2. Use eggshells as pots for starting plants from seed. Then plant the seedling, “pot” and all, into the garden.

3. Use crushed eggshells to deter slugs, snails, and cutworms. These garden pests are a real pain in the gardener’s neck, and cutworms are the worst, killing seedlings by severing the stems at soil level. All three of these pests have soft undersides, and dislike slithering across anything sharp. Crushed eggshells, applied to the soil’s surface, may help deter these pests.

4. Add them to the compost pile. If you aren’t planting tomatoes or trying to deter slugs, add the eggshells to your compost pile, where they’ll add calcium to your finished compost.

5. If you are feeding birds in your yard, crush up the eggshells and add them to a dish near the feeder. Female birds, particularly those who are getting ready to lay eggs or recently finished laying, require extra calcium and will definitely appreciate it!

No matter how you want to use them, be sure to rinse the shells out well before using them in the garden.

By Colleen Vanderlinden, Planet Green

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Jennifer B.

10:44AM PDT on Jun 16, 2013

Wow! Good ideas! I didn't know that about the slugs and snails (which I hate). I will definitely being giving that a try.

June 16
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Frances D.

11:51AM PDT on Jun 14, 2013

I've done all except 5 ... will do that from now on.

June 14
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Lady A.

3:15PM PDT on Jun 12, 2013

Thanks for the info :)

June 12
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wael a.

4:35PM PDT on Jun 10, 2013

thank you

June 10
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Joshe F.

2:59AM PDT on May 24, 2013

Some of the plants are getting a bit old and weary, but it'll be fun finding the perfect replacements when they finally give up on me. That's the fun of gardening. No matter how perfect it is, there is always something that changes from year to year.
http://www.lawnz.org.uk/

May 24
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Lily T.

9:16AM PDT on Apr 8, 2013

Dale O, I agree with you. Unfortunately, some people will listen and believe anything that supports their particular agenda without bothering to look at facts.
Besides the quotes you mentioned, Susan L. says "Their uteruses prolapse from all the forced laying". This is completely, utterly, ridiculous. No one can force a hen to lay. They lay when they want to (usually once a day or every other day) and typically, they do not lay at all if under high stress conditions.
I really wish that people, before taking on a "cause", would properly inform themselves with reliable studies, stats, and experiments rather than the word of one other militant vegan. Truth will set you free.
And yes, I eat eggs, farm grown, and I use their shells for many of the ways mentioned. Eggs are my favourite food, one of the most versitile, natural, and nutritious foods you can have the pleasure to eat.

April 8
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Rhonda B.

6:14PM PDT on Apr 1, 2013

Hey! I am vegan, do not use eggs; however my family does. Thanks for the ideas as I love to be able to put back to the earth if possible. As a sidenote; I don't like vegans who are holier than thou either.

April 1
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Cindy R.

12:54AM PDT on Mar 25, 2013

Thank you!

March 25
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Laura F.

1:46PM PDT on Mar 23, 2013

Thank you, I will have to try the birdfeeder at the least. For starter pots, i might try that, but I don't know how the water would drain. Maybe I'll try to create small holes without shattering the shell, but that could be rather difficult.