Are Egg Shells Good For Garden? (Explained)

Eggshells are a popular organic material used in gardening for their ability to improve soil health and provide calcium to plants. Our post on Are Egg Shells Good for Garden Explained covers the benefits of using eggshells in your garden, including their ability to deter pests and improve plant growth.

For more information on organic gardening, check out our article on Are Coffee Grounds Good for Garden Explained to learn about another useful organic material for your garden.

Takeaways
Using eggshells in the garden is a natural and organic way to provide nutrients to plants.
Eggshells are a good source of calcium, which is essential for plant growth and development.
Crushed eggshells can help deter pests, such as slugs and snails, from damaging plants.
Eggshells can be used on all types of plants, but are especially beneficial for those that require a lot of calcium.
Incorporating eggshells into your gardening routine is easy and can help improve the health and productivity of your plants.

Improve your soil health and grow healthy, robust plants with the help of eggshells and other organic materials in your garden.

How Can I Use Eggshells In The Garden?

  • You can add crushed eggshells to your compost pile or make a simple solution of them and water if you want to fertilize plants by hand.
  • Eggshells are good for tomatoes, peppers, and other plants that like acidic soil.
  • The calcium carbonate found in eggshells helps neutralize soil pH levels.
  • This makes them great natural fertilizer and an excellent way to improve the health of your plants’ roots!

What Are The Benefits Of Using Crushed Eggshells In The Garden?

Eggshells are a natural source of calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium. These elements are essential for healthy plant growth and eggshells contain large amounts of them all about 1% dry weight for a medium-sized eggshell.

Sulfur is a key mineral that helps plants convert nitrates into proteins. It also helps protect plants from diseases like powdery mildew and blackspot fungus by reducing their chances of infection.

How to: Use Eggshells in the Garden (5 Quick Tips) – YouTube

Are Egg Shells Good For Tomatoes?

Egg shells are great at preventing blossom end rot. That’s the name for the black, sunken spots that you can see on tomatoes and other fruit when they don’t have enough calcium in their diet. The good news is that eggshells are a great source of calcium!

Egg shells also contain many trace minerals, like iron and zinc, which plants need to thrive.

“Proper fertilization is essential for healthy potted plants. Check out our guide on how often to fertilize potted plants to ensure your plants receive the nutrients they need to thrive.”

Can You Put Eggshells Directly In The Garden?

If you want to be a bit creative, you can use eggshells for your garden. Some people say that placing them directly into your soil will deter slugs, which could be true if the shell is big enough. The shells also make great compost material!

You can also use them in pots with tomatoes or other plants that need extra calcium. I’ve heard from some friends that they add eggshells to their tea because it gives them extra nutrients and makes their plants grow faster.

How Do You Use Eggshells In Pots?

To use eggshells in pots, you will need to create a layer of crushed eggshells at the bottom of the pot. Add a layer of potting mix on top of this and then place your plant inside. Water regularly and fertilize when needed.

“Maintaining a regular plant food schedule can help your houseplants grow strong and healthy. Learn more about how often to give your houseplants plant food in our expert guide.”

Does Eggshell Tea Work?

Eggshells are not fertilizer. Eggshell tea, which involves crushing shells and brewing them in water, is meant to boost the nutrient content of your soil. But eggshells alone won’t replace fertilizer or compost and they can’t do all the work on their own!

So How Does Eggshell Tea Work?

The theory behind using crushed eggs in garden soil is that calcium helps plants absorb phosphorous (a nutrient responsible for producing new growth) more efficiently. If you’re growing a plant with a serious phosphorus deficiency, adding calcium may help fix it. 

However, if you’re fertilizing properly and providing sufficient amounts of phosphorus through other means like compost or mulch then there’s no need to add any extra calcium at all!

Do Eggshells Kill Slugs?

Slug Control

The idea that eggshells are good for killing slugs is a myth. Eggs are not toxic to slugs, and they don’t repel them either. Eggshells do not kill slugs, but they can be effective at deterring them if you sprinkle the shells around your plants. 

Slug eggs will not survive in an environment with eggshells around because they dry out too quickly and die away before hatching into mature slugs.

“The right soil can make a big difference in the health of your indoor plants. Check out our article on the best soil to use for indoor plants to learn how to choose the right type of soil for your plants.”

Is It Ok To Put Eggshells In Compost?

I have a big problem with composting eggshells. I think they are too hard to break down and they take a long time to decompose. This means that you will not get the nutrients or benefits from them.

If you have chickens, it is better to just toss them in the chicken yard where they will be eaten by worms and other critters in your garden (and eventually added back into your soil).

However, there are some benefits to using eggshells around your home or garden:

  • They can help keep slugs away from plants when sprinkled around the base of plants.
  • They are an excellent source of calcium for all kinds of plants from flowers to citrus trees.
  • Adding crushed shells to flower pots provides good drainage and aeration for young seeds such as tomatoes, peppers, etc…

How Many Eggshells Should I Put In My Garden?

This is a question that can be answered in two ways: how many eggshells should you use each day, and how many eggs are needed to produce the number of shells you need?

If your garden is small, or if you only have one or two containers for planting in, then it might not be too difficult to obtain enough eggshells. 

You could collect them from yourself and your family every few days (or weeks), crush them up into smaller pieces with a mortar or pestle and then sprinkle them on top of the soil when planting seeds.

On the other hand, if your garden is large or has multiple rows of plants in it, then it may take time to collect enough eggshells especially if they’re all being used as mulch around each plant. 

If this sounds like a lot of work for something so simple and potentially messy you can always buy crushed eggshells at most gardening stores or online retailers such as Amazon instead!

“Transplanting can be stressful for plants, but proper timing can make the process easier. Our pro tips on when to transplant houseplants can help ensure your plants continue to grow strong and healthy.”

Egg Shells Are Good For Gardens. Make Sure To Crush Them Before Adding Them To Your Soil

Egg shells are excellent sources of calcium, which is critical for plants’ cell walls to stay strong and prevent disease. Egg shells also contain sulfur, which is important to plant growth because it aids in photosynthesis by providing plants with nitrogen and other minerals they need to thrive.

In addition, egg shells provide an alternative method of getting rid of slugs without using harmful chemicals like pesticides (which kill all kinds of organisms including bees). 

Crushing up eggshells and sprinkling them around your garden will deter slugs from wreaking havoc on your crops!

Conclusion

Eggshells are a great way to improve the quality of your soil and keep pests away. They’re also easy to collect, so there’s no excuse not to get started!

“Saving a struggling indoor plant can be a challenge, but it’s not impossible. Check out our expert tips on how to save your indoor plant to give your plant the care it needs to thrive.”

Further Reading

Here are some additional resources for learning more about using eggshells in gardening:

The Hidden Benefits of Using Egg Shells in Your Garden: This article explains the various benefits of using eggshells in the garden, such as adding nutrients to the soil and deterring pests.

How to Use Eggshells for Plants: This article provides step-by-step instructions for preparing eggshells for use in the garden, as well as tips for using them effectively.

Using Eggshells in the Garden: This guide explains the science behind why eggshells are beneficial for plants, as well as offering tips for incorporating them into your gardening routine.

FAQs

What are the benefits of using eggshells in the garden?

Using eggshells in the garden can provide several benefits, including adding calcium and other nutrients to the soil, deterring pests, and improving soil structure.

How do you prepare eggshells for use in the garden?

To use eggshells in the garden, they should be crushed or ground into small pieces to make them easier to incorporate into the soil. They can also be added to compost to help enrich the soil.

Can eggshells be used on all types of plants?

Yes, eggshells can be used on all types of plants, but they are especially beneficial for plants that require a lot of calcium, such as tomatoes and peppers.

How often should you use eggshells in the garden?

You can use eggshells in the garden as often as you like, but it’s generally recommended to incorporate them into the soil at the beginning of the planting season or when transplanting seedlings.

Are there any plants that should not be fertilized with eggshells?

While eggshells are generally safe for use on all types of plants, some plants may be more sensitive to calcium buildup than others. It’s best to do some research on the specific plants you are growing to determine if eggshells are a good fit for their needs.