I use finely crushed eggshells around seedlings that I transplant into my garden each spring. The shells keep snails, slugs and cut worms away. Apparently, the shells are abrasive to these critters and they won't crawl over them to eat the young plants.
I've heard that tomatoes love them, something about the added calcium in the soil. So when I planted mine this year, I crushed up a bunch of eggshells and mixed them in around the plants.
You can also use them to start seedlings in. Then when you transplant, just crack the shell and plant the whole thing. Of course this only works for small seedlings.
To make eggshell seed-starting pots: Crack the tips off several eggshells, reserving the eggs for cooking. Fill shells with a light soil mixture and one or two seeds (nasturtiums were used in the book), and prick drainage holes in the bottom of each shell with a pin. Keep moist and warm. When seedlings have reached a suitable size, plant them directly in the ground, crushing the shell so the roots can emerge.
If you have deer eating any of your garden plants, throw the eggshells out there because deer HATE eggs! Otherwise, they are good for your plants, anyway. Just crush and use in your potting soil or mulch.
By Margie
Compost And Mix With Birdseed
I crush them up very fine, and put them in my compost tumbler. On occasion, I dump them on the ground in the area where I feed the birds. The birds need grit in their gizzard to help digest food, so they eat the shells.
Sidewalk chalk! Here's a great link to making the chalk, however after I washed the shells and let them dry, I ground them up in the blender rather than on a rock - much easier!
Bedtime tea, you wash them, then bake them until brown. Crush and boil as you would tea. Stain and make tea as you normally would. Enjoy a cup before you go to bed, as told me by my grandmother.
This is a cute craft for kids. Dye shells with your usual Easter egg dye. Make "chicks" out of 2 cotton balls glued together. Cut tiny feet out of construction paper, make a beak out of a small construction paper triangle folded in half, and two tiny circles for eyes. You could use small beads or craft eyes if you had them. Put the chicks in the dyed 1/2 shells. Glue onto a square of green construction paper to make it stand up. You could use white shells if you prefer, but the dyed shells are very pretty. I have done this craft with grade 2 &3 kids, and they liked it a lot. Louise, Nipawin
Crafters could remove the membrane from the inside the shell, put pieces inside down on a box covered with glue, push down till it is all crackled. May also dye it before use. Could use different colors to make a picture.
Egg shells are solely calcium. Plants love them. Rinse, dry, and crush. Then sprinkle on the ground under any acid loving plant such as roses, azaleas, evergreens, magnolias, gardenias. Also add used coffee grounds this way. It will make for more blooms and heartier plants. works every time and is free. just be sure to rinse the shells so you don't attract bugs to the egg drippings, which would defeat the purpose.
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