There are many food scraps that people use in their compost. However, there is one that is often overlooked. Using egg shells in compost is not just a great way to help reduce waste but also boosts the nutrient content of the soil you are creating for your plants.
Benefits Of Egg Shells In The Compost
Egg shells contain a high level of calcium which is one of the most important nutrients for plant health. It’s also critical for their cell walls. Shells are comprised of an average of ninety-five percent calcium so this makes them ideal for composting.
By adding them to your compost egg shells can help you to produce soil that is well-balanced with the essential nutrients for your garden. Their calcium is actually released slowly into your compost and future soil just like a fertilizer.
How To Compost Egg Shells
How you want to add your shells is up to you. Typically though unlike other food items like banana peels, egg shells do take a long time to break down. You can crush your shells before adding them, and of course the smaller the pieces the faster they will decompose. If you’d like to speed the process up a bit more you can use a blender, coffee grinder, or mortar and pestle to pulverize your shells into a powder.
You may want to dry your shells in the oven before doing so. Regardless of whether you choose to simply crush or pulverize them, you should give the shells a quick wash first. This will help to keep backyard pests such as rodents, opossums, and a host of others from smelling them and thinking they may be able to score a free meal in your compost.
Using Egg Shells In The Garden
Do egg shells make good compost? Sure, they do, but there are many ways you can use them in your garden right away if you’d prefer. You can grind or crush your shells up into a powder and use them as a high calcium fertilizer for your plants without composting them first.
They can also be applied to your tomatoes and other vegetables to prevent root end rot. Egg shells are also an effective natural tool you can use against destructive slugs and snails. Not only do they hate the texture of the jagged shells when it’s on the soil but it can actually damage their skin and end up killing them.
Using egg shells in compost is not just very beneficial to your plants and garden, it’s also easy. However, since they can be so helpful be sure not to overlook the other ways you can use them in your garden either.
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