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Homemade Eggshell Plant Fertilizer

Thenexttimeyoucrackafeweggstomakebreakfastorabaked
good,don'ttossawaytheshells.Ifyougarden,thenutrientsfound
ineggshellsprovideadecentandinexpensivesourceoffertilizer
foryourplants.Unlikesyntheticfertilizers,whenyouuseeggshells
inyourgarden,youdonothavetoworryaboutgoingoverboard.
Keepinmindthateggshellsalonewon'tprovideadequatenutrition
forplants.

Feedcleaneggshellstoyourplants.

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NutritionalAnalysis

Eggshellsareprimarilymadeoutofcalciumcarbonate,whichistheingredientfoundinagriculturallime,accordingtothe
MasterGardenersofHamiltonCounty,Tenn.JeffGillman,authorof"TheTruthAboutGardenRemedies,"didhisownsmall
testtodeterminethenutritionalpropertiesofeggshells.Hesteepedashellinwaterfor24hoursandthensentthewaterto
thelab.Thelabresultsfoundthattheeggshellinfusedwatercontained4mgofcalciumandpotassium,aswellasverysmall
amountsofphosphorus,magnesiumandsodium.

SteepingShells

Makeaneggshellfertilizerteatouseinyourgarden.Boilagallonofwater,andthenadd10cleananddryeggshellstoit.For
astrongerbrew,addtheshellsofupto20eggs.Lettheshellssitinthewaterovernight,andthenstrainthewater.Pourthe
concentratedirectlyontothesoiltogiveplantsaboostofcalciumandpotassium.Gillmanrecommendsdoingthisoncea
week,thoughhowoftenyouhaveeggshellsdependsonyourfamily'seggeatinghabits.

CrushingShells

Insteadofmakingatea,youcancrusheggshellsandaddthemdirectlytothesoilinyourgarden.Collectshellsthroughout
thewintersothatyouhaveanadequatesupplyatplantingtime.Washanddrytheshellstoremoveanyeggresidue.Place
theshellsintoafoodprocessorandprocessuntilapowderforms.Wearadustmaskwhencrushingtheeggshellssothatyou
don'tbreatheintheeggshelldust.Stirthepowderedshellsintothesoilorpottingmixjustbeforeplanting.Gillmansuggests
usingfiveshellsperplant.Youcanalsosprinkleahandfulofshellsintotheplantingholebeforeyousetaplantrootballinit.

Benefits

Plantsneedcalciumtothrive.Calciumhelpstheplantsdevelopastrongcellularstructure.Calciumdeficiencyisvisiblein
youngplants,becausetheleavesaretwistedorhaveblackspots,accordingtotheU.S.DepartmentofAgriculture.Theplant's
overallgrowthisstuntedtoo.Infruitingplants,suchastomatoes,alackofcalciumisevidentwhenthefruitsdevelopblossom
endrot,orathin,darkspotonthebottomofthefruit.Anadditionalbenefitofeggshellsinthegardenisthatlargershell
pieceshelpdeterslugs.Thesharpedgesoftheshellsirritatethesoftbodiesoftheslugs.
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