Put those egg shells to use

Do not throw away your eggshells because there are many ways you can put them to use especially in a garden.

Fertilisers
Allan Katende, a farmer says eggshells can be used as fertilisers in your garden. “Eggshells are rich in calcium and other minerals that help your garden thrive. Crush eggshells into tiny pieces and sprinkle them into each hole before planting. Then, sprinkle additional shells around the base of your plants every two weeks.

“While calcium is considered a nutrient for plants, your garden will certainly appreciate the added minerals, especially if you grow tomatoes or pepper as these plants are the most easily affected by calcium-deficiency,” Katende explains.

Pest control
Katende adds that they can be used as pest control as one needs to only crush the eggshells and scatter them around their vegetables and flowers to keep away snails and earthworms. These creatures do not like crawling over sharp pieces of shell.

If one has a problem with cats using their gardens as a litter box, crushed up eggshells keeps them away, too.
Just scatter shells in the areas that they frequent, and after stepping on those shells a few times, they will move on.
Katende explains that eggshells can be used as poultry feeds as both before and after laying eggs, mother birds need more calcium in their diets.

Because eggshells quickly biodegrade when introduced into soil in the garden, they also double as the perfect seed-starter pots.
“When you open your eggs to remove the contents, try to break just a small hole at the pointier end of the shell. Clean the inside of the eggshells with boiling water and puncture a small drainage hole in the bottom of each empty shell. You can then place them back into the carton, fill each shell with moist soil, and add your seeds. Once the seedlings outgrow their “pots” you can transplant the shell and all directly into bigger pots or out into the garden,” Katende advises.

Finely-ground eggshells can also be quite pretty. If you have a large family or simply eat a lot of eggs, boil your shells to sterilize them, crumble, then drop them into a large glass jar for storage. Once you have collected enough shell crumbles, sprinkle them around and in between your plants.

Katende adds that they will not only help control pests and eventually add calcium back to the soil, the white color can also be a beautiful accent to your garden.

Decor
You can also use egg shells to decorate your outdoors. These can be placed on tree branches around the compound and they will look beautiful when placed on short trees.

Fertilisers

Though nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are most vital for healthy growth, calcium is also essential for building healthy bones which is the cell walls of a plant. Composed of calcium carbonate, eggshells are an excellent way to introduce this mineral into the soil. To prepare the eggshells, grind with a mixer, grinder, or mortar and pestle and push them into the soil. Because it takes several months for eggshells to break down and be absorbed by a plant’s roots, it is recommended that they be pushed into the soil in the rainy season.

Finely crushed shells mixed with other organic matter at the bottom of a hole will help new plants thrive. For an exciting recycled garden cocktail: try mixing your eggshells with coffee grounds, which are rich in nitrogen. Finally, eggshells will reduce the acidity of your soil, and will help to aerate it.

bnakibuuka@ug.nationmedia.com