One way I decided to reduce the amount of waste I was producing was by looking into uses for egg shells. In an attempt to be more intentional and make greater use of kitchen scraps, I decided that egg shells were a great place to start.
Different Uses in the Garden
GROWING SEEDLINGS
In looking for ways to recycle my eggshells, I found many suggestions for garden use. A search online brought up ideas about growing seedlings in half a shell, using the carton to hold them up. This was a cute idea to me. I kept looking.
SNAILS AND SLUGS
Egg shells can also be used as a deterrent for slugs and snails. If you crush the egg shells in larger pieces and cover the soil around your plant, it makes it difficult and painful for their soft bodies to cross it to get to the plant, and typically they will go elsewhere. I like this use, as it is a pest control without the use of anything harmful in your garden. However, if you do this, You need to use a large amount of crushed shells and commpletely cover the area surrounding your plant, several inches wide.
MINERAL FERTILIZER
My favorite way to use eggshells, and the one I decided to try was using the powder from ground up shells as a mineral fertilizer to augment my soil. The minerals, particularly the calcium, are a great addition to garden soil, particularly for those plants that really need a boost of calcium, such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplants.
Tossing Out Good Minerals
Egg shells are largely made of calcium carbonate. As in, it makes up somewhere around 40% of the content of eggshells. People pay for calcium carbonate supplements and I was just throwing it away. Also found in shells are more than a couple dozen other elements, including magnesium, boron, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, sulfur, silicon, zinc, and many more. I don’t know about you, but I’d be happier knowing that these elements are in my soil and food than in my trash can.
Motivation
Already knowing that elements become more bio-available to humans and animals when we get them through plants made the idea of reusing my eggshells all the better. Expending a little effort to turn hard minerals into bio-available supplements seemed awesome to me. I was convinced. This was the upcycle I wanted to put my energy into.
The next thing was to decide how to make it easy. It seemed a bit inconvenient, but I just had to figure it out and find a rhythm. And that I did. Now, every time I cook eggs for breakfast or bake with them, I immediately rinse out the inside, gently rubbing my thumb around the inside surface to remove any excess egg white left behind. I put them on a small cookie sheet I have set aside to be my ongoing “eggshell pan.” (I often keep it on the bottom rack of my oven, but on occasion set it out on my stove to put it back in later). This pan is filled up with shells and then baked in the oven. I prefer to put it on 200F for several hours, but at times I forget it and they get baked at a higher temp. Baking the shells removes bacteria and leaves them more brittle, making them easier to crush. Alternatively, you can rinse your shells and put them in a ziplock in the freezer until you have enough or get around to baking them. This might be easier if you don’t want to keep a pan around or if you don’t go through eggs super quickly.
Crushing the shells is super simple for me, as I use a basic electric coffee grinder. I push the shells down (rounded side up, so as not to scrape my hand) into the grinder, put the lid on, and pulse/run it until they are very smooth and powdery.
Once this is done, I store the powder in a glass jar with an air-tight lid until use. I like seeing how each batch has a different tint and the layers look cool, as shown in the picture.
Using Your Shell Powder
The mineral powder from your eggshells can be mixed into garden soil at any time. However, the way I like best is to use it when planting vegetables, and particularly the three I mentioned above: tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. When direct-sowing, you can put a spoonful of powder several inches down into the soil (not right where your seed is, necessarily). When transplanting a more mature seedling or plant, put a scoop of eggshell minerals right into the hole where you will place the roots. Now, when I say “spoonful” I am referring to something around a tablespoon or so. It’s not an exact science. If you happen to know that you’ve had calcium deficiency in your soil, you may want to put more. For instance, this past season some of my tomatoes had blossom end rot, indicating a calcium deficiency or an issue with water regularity. Next time I plant tomatoes, I will be sure to use my new trick to hopefully deter this from occurring again.
I want to add here that eggshell powder is also beneficial for earthworms in your garden or in a worm farm. I love what worms do for the soil and plants, and this eggshell powder helps them have the grit they need to aid digestion, therefore benefitting our gardens and ecosystems. If you don’t have worms or a worm farm and want to check them out, I love this website. The benefits of adding worms and worm compost are great!
Call to Action
My challenge to you is to not let your eggshells go to waste. They are too valuable! Make it a point to stop tossing them out and find a rhythm in your kitchen that makes use of the minerals, upcycling them for your benefit and the benefit of nature! You can totally do this. It’s one little change that brings both a big impact as well as great satisfaction. I would know!
Do you already use your eggshells? Have you wanted to but something is stopping you? Let us know in the comments below!
Thanks for stopping by!
