Eggshells In The Garden: Using Eggshells In Soil, Compost And As Pest Control

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/ingredients/eggshells-in-the-garden.htm

hope this link will help, good for tomatoes, peppers, squash and Eggplants, and other vegetables that are susceptible to blossom end rot. While planting eggshells directly with plants most likely will not help this season’s plants (because the eggshells will not break down fast enough to create calcium), eggshells in the soil will decompose eventually and will help add calcium directly to the soil.

Egg shells don't do much good in high desert alkaline soils. I have no idea what you should do with your collection, but in a similar environment, I generally smash mine up with the compost, they show up again when I dig it out and spread it in the garden where they get smashed again, and they disappear sooner or later. But they aren't adding much of anything to the soil.

Earthworms are not major digesters of materials put into compost except in vermicomposting tub, but the other workers (such as the pill bugs) will work on those eggshells. To make much difference in soil pH you would need to add a lot of egg shells to the garden or compost, the amount we normally add would not be enough to make a significant difference, even 4 pounds. If it takes a ton of lime to change a soils pH 1 point how many egg shells would it take to do the same?

I have added egg shells to my compost for years without being concerned about what affect they might have on soil pH or much of anything else.

kimmq is kimmsr

+1 on the above post. I composted them for years until I realized my soil was not only neutral but very high in soluble calcium, so now I just put them in the trash and move on. Really they're a tiny tiny fraction of my total trash, even though I reduce/reuse/recycle as much as possible. There are other things that would give more return for the effort than eggshells, at least at my house.

Agreed that if you characterize your soil as "desert alkali soil" then you have all the Ca you'll ever need. That doesn't mean eggshells are bad, just pretty much something with little or no effect. Your situation probably means you should never have to think about Ca again. Ever.

After having maggots crawling across my floor from bad housekeeping, I take ALL garbage, which includes eggs, store it in a huge coffee can, and bury it (not the can...) in the garden when the can fills up. Two or three shovels full of dirt does it. It all goes quietly away in a short time (I haven't found a buried egg shell ever, but then again I almost never turn garden soil over). Treating all garbage the same is easy and has no drawbacks whatsoever. HERE, that is.

I bought a working coffee grinder from the thrift store and grind the egg shells. I then add it to any potted plant or throw it into the compost pile if the pots have had their portion already.

I should mention that I save up the egg shells first, since I don't just grind one or two eggs as the day or week progresses.

The other side of all this is such a thing as obsessing over saving greens and browns (or other components) for the compost pile. Sometimes, some ingredient just needs to be trashed, and move on.

In my experience eggshells are not easily digested by the Soil Food Web. Even when crushed fairly finely I have found evidence in my planting beds of eggshell several years after applying the compost that contained them.

The albumin left in the shells seems to have an adverse affect on the shells being digested as well so the shells should be thoroughly rinsed before being crushed.

kimmq is kimmsr

Thanks everybody. It sounds like even my calcium-loving plants aren't going to benefit from any extra.

Maybe the raised beds or container plants could take a little? I guess I'll have to see if the potting mix I bought tells me how much calcium it has.

"Apologize to your mother and toss them in the trash."
My mother's been gone these nine years. If she were still alive I would make her take them.

I think my current options (trash not an option, this is a quest!) are: 1) bury them somewhere in the way back corner by the power pole where I won't be growing anything anyway 2) mix a few with Mom's ashes, which I will get around scattering one day.

Eggshells are mostly calcium carbonate, i.e. lime, which takes forever to dissolve in water, unless your soil is a little acidic to begin with. I would not be surprised to see them hanging around. As I recall, albumen is actually the protein that makes the white gelatinous and should be very digestible. However the membrane on the inside of the shell may be a little resistant. The invisible coating on the outside (cuticle) is there to keep out bacteria so that doesn't help. Although I think in the US, most eggs are washed which removes the cuticle. I think it's more the low solubility of the calcium carbonate than anything else.

More than most of you probably wanted to know about eggshells.

My family goes through about 2 dozen eggs a week. They get crushed and tossed into the compost. Even if they don't break down as quickly as the rest. in my opinion they won't hurt a thing

It's about like putting fine limestone gravel in the soil, it'll be there awhile but that's OK.

Very interesting thread. Might I add a third option? When visiting friends who garden in acid soil, wrap them up, put a ribbon on them and give them as a gift. Maybe your mom will be watching and will enjoy the gesture :)

You could feed the crushed eggshells back to your chicken flock if you have one or if you know someone who does. Egg shells should serve the same purpose as feeding them crushed oyster shells to add calcium for them to produce more eggs.

I use small amounts of egg shells despite my alkaline soil. I bake them, grind them, then add 1/4 tsp to my morning smoothie for calcium. Of course Ca is not the whole story when it comes to good bones and teeth, but it takes out one possible deficiency.

clever idea glib. Sure beats buying Ca supplements that are mined somewhere. :-]

"More than most of you probably wanted to know about eggshells."

toxcrusadr, not really. That's really the root of the issue - "everybody" knows eggshells are a good amendment, but that isn't true for all environments, and not knowing enough about eggshells is part of the dilemma here.

elisa_z5, I wish gifting them were an option. My only friend east of the Rockies lives in a Brooklyn apartment and doesn't grow even houseplants and would be utterly appalled at a gift of eggshells anyway because she is a germaphobe. If I ever get really pissed at her, I am going to tell her that all that kale she eats is actually grown in dirt.

Maybe I can make Christmas ornaments out of them? Cover something in glue, roll it in the shells? I'm almost afraid to check Etsy and Pinterest to see if someone is already doing crushed eggshell crafts.

glib, when bone fragility rears its ugly head and I am advised to take calcium supplements, maybe I will try that.

LoneJack, I don't have chickens. I have thought about getting some, but then I would wind up with more eggshells.

I guess what I'm thinking now is that four pounds won't hurt anything if I scatter them over 4000 square feet, I just have to forget about hoarding them and thinking I can use them to improve anything. Still probably gonna add some to Mom's ashes, though.

Give them top people as art material:

http://www.kidspot.com.au/kids-activities-and-games/Art-activities+43/Make-an-eggshell-mosaic+12461.htm

"all that kale she eats is actually grown in dirt."

Maybe, maybe not. There are many hydroponic operations supplying grocers today.

kimmq is kimmsr

I think you're on the right track rainless. Carry on and happy gardening!

LOL :)

"Crushed eggshell crafts" Maybe contact the Dinovember people?

Ha! This could be the start of a blog . . .

I dry and then crush eggshells and toss them around the back garden. The songbirds eat what my chickens don't.