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Improve Your Garden Soil Using Eggshells

November 28, 2011 by Missy Rakes 82 Comments

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Learn how to improve garden soil using eggshells on gracefullittlehoneybee.com
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I don’t compost, but I do keep my rinsed eggshells and once I have a big pile full I put them in the blender….

 

 …and turn them into powder to spread out in the garden.

If you try this, be forewarned…


…you will have egg dust comin’ at you when you remove the lid…

…and it really doesn’t smell that pleasant.

Learn how to use your eggshells in the garden for a calcium boost!

Do you put anything in your garden such as
eggshells, leaves, or coffee grounds to help the soil? 

I’d love more ideas!

 

Other posts you might enjoy:
Improve your garden soil for free using kitchen scraps on gracefullittlehoneybee.comCheck out these 18 Easy Ways to become more Self-Sufficient that almost anyone can do!

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Filed Under: gardening, natural living, Natural Remedies & Recipes

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  1. Cindy Goodwin says

    June 24, 2014 at 2:29 pm

    I do this too! I also add the ash from fires to my compost. My gardens have vastly improved. In Perth, Australia, we have zero nutrient sand so we need to boost the sand with good compost and soil. By adding a bit of clean clumping cat litter, the moisture is retained and doesn't just filter out through the sand.
    Reply
  2. Tracey says

    August 31, 2014 at 6:15 pm

    Found this post through pinterest. Great ideas! Thanks every one!!
    Reply
  3. Tricia Trondsen says

    October 3, 2014 at 10:31 pm

    I put coffee grounds in my garden and the cats would not go near!
    Reply
    • MaryBeth says

      March 21, 2021 at 10:11 am

      Do you know if this would deter rabbits?
      Reply
  4. Teri Kirkwood says

    October 29, 2014 at 8:47 am

    If you leave the shells somewhat rough they cut up the snails as they try to get to the base of your plants!
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      October 29, 2014 at 10:03 am

      Thanks for the great ideas!
      Reply
  5. Sings says

    January 16, 2015 at 2:30 am

    Our local Starbucks has a Grounds for Gardeners program. If you ask, they will tell you when to check back and give you a big bag of used coffee grounds. Sometimes you have to pick out a couple filters or the bag drips so I keep a bucket for pickups but it's free! :) Usually they still have a hockey puck shape from the coffee machine. I break it up and throwing around on my SoCal soil which tends to be alkaline clay-ish. Earthworms love it, after a few years my soil is very loamy. One tip, make sure you sprinkle it, if it's too thick it repeals water.
    Reply
  6. Carol says

    March 12, 2015 at 9:20 pm

    Calcium as a soil additive for tomatoes need to be broken down beyond just being crushed because the calcium in the eggshells is not readily available to the tomatoes. To make the calcium available they need to be ground powder fine and mixed with distilled white vinegar. Mix 2T DWV with 1T eggshell powder. Let this mixture sit for about 1 hour stirring occasionally. To this mixture add 1 quart warm water and stir. When planting your tomato plants add 1/4c. to each planting hole.
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      March 13, 2015 at 2:22 pm

      Thank you for the tip!
      Reply
      • Nancy says

        March 19, 2017 at 1:16 pm

        Sounds like a wonderful tip! I can't wait to try it!
        Reply
    • Brian Hughes says

      March 24, 2015 at 1:34 pm

      How often do you recommend that I add this . Can you over do it ?
      Reply
  7. Meena Bagwandin says

    March 13, 2015 at 5:23 am

    Hi all Great ideas shared by everyone, really enjoyed reading. Will keep the great tip in mind Thanks
    Reply
  8. Karen says

    April 4, 2015 at 9:01 pm

    No one ever takes the last serving of coffee from the pot in the morning, so if one of us doesn't remember to turn it off, it sits all day on the burner and coagulates into a syrup. Instead of dumping the seriously syrupy espresso, I top it off with water and dump it out the backdoor onto my flower/herb bed or water a few choice indoor recipients.
    Reply
  9. Sylvia says

    April 11, 2015 at 5:40 pm

    Years ago when I had lilacs, I used coffee grounds to brighten their color. I now have a balcony garden and want to grow herbs and spices. Any tips?
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      April 11, 2015 at 7:47 pm

      Just be sure to pick them frequently otherwise they may not last very long.
      Reply
  10. Diana pratt says

    May 11, 2015 at 11:22 pm

    eggshells crushed In your hand are great for slugs and snails. Just sprinkle around edge of pot or garden. It cuts their bodies.
    Reply
  11. Brian Dooley says

    July 12, 2015 at 5:37 am

    Another great tip chopped up banana skins, directly into the soil around plants, great for roses ,
    Reply
  12. Deb says

    August 7, 2015 at 8:30 am

    Be careful not to breath in the egg shell dust as it is not good for your lungs. When you crack an egg open put the two halves straight in your worm farm, compost or garden (buried under some mulch). the worms like to lay their eggs inside the shells as it protects them and keeps them moist. Also if you lay a few eggshells under plants that the cabbage moth like to lay their eggs on, the shells help to keep the moths away as they think the shells are other moths that have already laid their eggs on those plants so they go somewhere else to lay their eggs. (Well that's the theory but it seems to keep the numbers down.
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      August 7, 2015 at 8:34 am

      Thanks for the tips Deb!
      Reply
  13. Geri says

    August 15, 2015 at 8:10 pm

    I use my empty egg shells after I bake them at 400 degrees for at least an hour to kill any unwanted bacteria. I then put them through the blender. I put alphalfa hay on top as a mulch which will break down & add nutrients to the soil. When I've composted in the past fire ants have taken over. I don't want to use chemicals on the compost so I stopped composting separately from the garden. Lately, I've been putting kitchen scraps in the garden under the alphalfa mulch. I buy a bale of the alphalfa at Treactor Supply. I've notified the local Ace store also carries alphalfa bales.
    Reply
  14. Mike the Gardener says

    January 27, 2016 at 11:38 am

    I have been doing this for quite sometime. It is such an easy method for adding a much needed nutrient to your soil.
    Reply
  15. Helen says

    July 12, 2016 at 7:59 pm

    Hi. I use my grass clippings as mulch. Worms love it and its free.
    Reply
  16. Barbara Wheeler says

    August 19, 2016 at 9:52 pm

    The music is not necessary and is too loud.
    Reply
  17. Ken Rosebrugh says

    August 30, 2016 at 2:26 pm

    Hi I've heard this one from three different experts and seen it on youtube. The Amazonians used coconut charcoal to mix with their garden soil. That's it ! There were millions of people living in the Amazon Delta before the European white explorers came along, gave them their diseases and wiped them all out. In spite of the flooding of the Amazon River every year, the growing season was amplified incredibly with the addition of the coconut charcoal, and with the abundant increase in food production helped millions survive in a floodplain in the tropics. An Australian has duplicated the process and is selling growing soil with the CC in it already. An American has duplicated the principles with a patented product and is selling it there. But anybody can buy coconuts, burn them (while cooking steak) and use the charcoal to add to their garden soil and increase yields very substantially for any plant.. And all this without artificial fertilizers and toxic killicides like Glyphosate (RoundUp)
    Reply
  18. Mauree says

    October 21, 2016 at 9:46 pm

    If you rinse remove the film in the eggshell. Let them dry completely they don't smell.
    Reply
  19. Matthew Brandt says

    March 10, 2017 at 7:31 pm

    Great post Missy! I am at a beginner-level stage with gardening and just started last year. Will definitely try blending up some eggshells for the soil, thanks for the tip!
    Reply
  20. Sparrowhawk says

    September 3, 2017 at 12:55 pm

    Once you grind the eggshells, leave them there in the blender covered for 15 minutes to settle. When you open it, there will be no floating powder to get in your nose. :)
    Reply
  21. Jackie says

    October 16, 2017 at 10:28 am

    Open the blender outside! Passing along a household hint that I used recently for cleaning that slip resistant texture in the bathtub. Using the amount of shampoo that you put in your hand to do your hair, close the drain; drop that amount into the center of the tub; add 1/2 cup of white vinegar and swish that around the tub using a brush and leave it for about 30 minutes. Return and add a little water to wet all the tub and leave that for about 10 minutes. Return and swish with a brush, rinse and look what has happened. I am 74 year old woman, a general contractor and wish I had known to do this a long time ago.
    Reply
  22. Jo Ann says

    April 26, 2018 at 10:28 pm

    Composting is a great way to utilize plant materials to enrich your soil. It’s not hard to do and really make a rich soil additive for zero cost and just a little effort. You don’t need a $100 container. Just find a hidden spot - behind a shed perhaps - and start discarding peelings, rinds, eggshells, dried leaves, a little bit of soil now and then to add the things that make compost rot quickly. Then the secret is to turn that pile often. Shovelsfull from the bottom of the pile every day or two will help it to rot quickly. NO meat, bones, dairy, plastic etc. these will draw pests and vermin. A good compost never smells and is not unsightly. And your outdoor plants will love it. I have a compost container on my counter lined with bio-degradable sacks that I use to collect all plant scraps like used coffee grounds and banana peels daily in my kitchen. The bags get tossed into the pile with the plant materials, and rot away to add to the compost. Simplifies the process quickly. My husband enjoys taking the bags out when full and stirring the pile. He has created a beautiful pile of compost that we will be using this growing season. He’s started a second pile already, which should be ready by the time we use the first one. and you’re thinking: Does it smell? NO! Not if done properly, and it’s not a demanding process. Saves the landfills from more stuff and is better than fertilizer. Can’t beat it. Jo ann
    Reply
  23. Caroline says

    October 2, 2019 at 6:29 pm

    Why dont you compost? I add coffee grounds in the filters, vegetable peelings, dust and pet hair from the vacuum...almost anything organic that isnt meat.
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      October 8, 2019 at 9:51 am

      We give most of our scraps to the chickens.
      Reply
  24. Nee Nee says

    August 15, 2020 at 1:15 am

    I'm going to try this... I'm trying to get my rose bushes to grow
    Reply
  25. LINA ROSA LATORRE GARCÍA says

    November 12, 2021 at 5:12 pm

    Me agrada descubrir que otras personas pueden compartir y unirse desde su experiencia para incentivarnos con un objetivo común: cultivar nuestras plantas muy utilizadas a nuestra alimentación. Cordialísimo saludo, desde Colombia.
    Reply
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