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Amending Soil With Egg Shells

by Denis Hauf
(Milwaukee, WI)

I save egg shells all year long. At planting time, I crush them and mix with compost. I plant the mixture with new tomato plants to prevent blossom end rot.

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Sep 05, 2021
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Egg Shells and tea bags
by: Digs

Been grinding in coffee grinder mostly egg shells and the odd tea bag with some water. Add to soil and dig in. Plants seem to love it and flower really well. Good for roots too👍🏻

May 11, 2015
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Thanks
by: Lee

Thanks will try this as cook everything from scratch

Apr 03, 2015
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We use egg shells for seedlings.
by: Kenny E

We actually plant seedlings in empty egg shells. My wife is careful to crack off the ends when opening the shells. We then fill the hollow dried shells with potting mix and plant seedlings. You can poke a small hole in the bottom end for drainage using a brad nail. Then before you plant, give it a squeeze to crack the shell then plant the egg in the pot or ground.

Jul 08, 2014
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Eggs shell + citrus peel fertilizer recipe
by: Mike

Buzz up your egg shells in a coffee grinder to a fine powder. You want a decent amount -- the shells from at least 5 dozen eggs should do. Fill the kitchen blender with citrus peel (any type) and fill the remaining space with water. Blend on high until liquefied into a slurry. Mix in powdered eggshells. Pour slurry into mason jars (very tall thin -- microwave safe -- glass containers are the best). Then microwave them on very low (10% power) for an hour -- pouring off the top liquid and stirring every 20 minutes. Pour remnant into foil pans and dehydrate in the oven at 200F or set somewhere to dry for a week -- you may desire to choose an outdoor location as the mixture will putrefy. The acid and powdered eggshells will react creating a lightweight fluffy crumbly yellow-orange "cakelike cookie" (DO NOT EAT). Use as fertilizer. Tomatoes will be able to readily absorb the finely broken-down acidified calcium, as well as the citrus peel being a modest minimum source of nitrogen (all they need). Our soil is awfully basic, so this acidic mixture helps temporarily correct the soil pH.

May 02, 2013
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Put egg shells in the compost w/kitchen scraps
by: Gtpony

No need to "save them"... we put egg shells in our kitchen scrap bin that we dump into the "worm bin" compost. We compost ALL vegetable scraps, paper towels, coffee ground and filters, egg shells, leaves, garden trimmings, you name it. Worms love it and the castings make great black gold for the garden! Don't add wood or shavings, it tends to burn up all the nitrogen in your compost... and depending on your soil conditions you might need to add a handful of lime a couple times a season.

Aug 03, 2012
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Another step in that process...
by: BiSh

Is to break the shells down in a blender or a food processor turning them into powder. Not only can you add it (with banana peels too) at planting time, but you can also top dress with it during the season!

Aug 03, 2012
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Egg Shells
by: Elaine P.

I will have to start saving up my egg shells for next years crop of tomatoes. Thanks for sharing the tip.....

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