Easter is just around the corner, and with that comes eggs. Whether it's the eggs we eat at Easter brunch, eggs we hide in the garden or eggs in the goodies we bake. We assume that there are millions of eggs used all over the world. Actually 180 million eggs are purchased each year only in the United States for Easter.
But what most people don't think about are the leftovers, to be more precise: the eggshells. Don't we all have a lot of eggshells disappearing in the trash pile, sadly covered by other kitchen waste during the Easter celebrations?
But what do we mean with lost or wasted?
Eggshells have a lot of different usages in your home: for your garden, your balcony plants or kitchen herbs.
Of course it's a bit more effort to make use of the eggshells instead of throwing them away, but we think the effort is worth it!
What is special about eggshells?
It is the ingredients. Chicken produce a lovely natural plant booster.The eggshell consists of three layers. It is made up of just over 90 percent calcium carbonate, i.e. lime, and the rest is made up of micro-nutrients, including magnesium, calcium phosphate, fluorine, copper, iron, zinc and silicon, as well as a little water and fat.
For plants that love lime, eggshells are the perfect fertilizer.
Plants that like regular lime application:
-wild garlic
- squill
-Christmas roses
-Peas
-lilac
-Beetroot
-chives
- pole beans
-onions
How do eggshells turn into fertilizer for plants?
Eggshells as dry fertilizer for plants
Crumble the eggshells well and then lay them around your plant. Your kitchen hives will love it!
Eggshells as a liquid fertilizer
You need:
Eggshells (per liter of water of one to two eggs)
solid base
tea towel
small water bowl
Sieve
Pounding tool (e.g. small hammer or meat tenderizer)
watering can
Place the shells on the firm surface, spread the tea towel over them and carefully hammer the shells into small pieces.
Put the crushed egg shells in the bowl with water.
In the following days, stir the mix several times. This will separate the components better from the eggshells.
After four to five days, the eggshell fertilizer is almost ready.
Sieve out the coarse eggshells.
Fill the watering can with the required number of liters of water according to the number of eggshells and add the brew.
Only water the soil and do not wet the leaves - otherwise the lime can lead to disruption of photosynthesis.
Eggshells as a powdered fertilizer:
Crush the eggshells into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle, rolling pin or food processor. Be sure to wear a mask while crushing the shells to avoid breathing in any eggshell dust. Stir the eggshell powder into your flower bed under the topsoil, indoor plant's potting mix, or vegetable garden's soil.
How can eggshells prevent your plants from being eaten by snails?
The defense method of using crushed eggshells against slugs is based on the fact that slugs do not like to crawl over dry surfaces. The drier a surface, the more mucus they have to produce to move, which costs precious body fluids. Therefore, snails avoid long walks over dry or even absorbent surfaces. For the method to work, the strip of eggshell must be a wide enough layer around your plant.
Conclusion:
Instead of wasting the eggshells from your Easter celebrations, just keep them separate and use them in your household. You don't need to have a big garden to make use of them, use the eggshells as a fertilizer, crushed or liquid for your in-house plants, balcony or garden, or use them to protect your salad from snails in your vegetable bed.
We are sure you'll find a useful usage for them instead of ending up in the trash!
