Too often, unfortunately, they end up in the trash. However, like coffee grounds, eggshells are one of the most useful food wastes for the garden. Whether used to enrich plants or compost, or to repel pests and combat diseases, these little peels that don’t look like much can do wonders for reducing waste and keeping plants happy. In this article, discover how eggshells can be put to traditional uses in the garden and garden.

Before using them in your green spaces, rinse them and dry them for a few days before shredding them. This way you will attract fewer rodents and other undesirables!

1) A great complement to compost

Eggshells are a great addition to the compost bin. They are rich in calcium, which helps balance the pH of the compost, already acidified by coffee grounds and certain fruits and vegetables. And, of course, they also provide a good proportion of minerals such as magnesium and phosphorus. So they will be great for your garden!

2) Egg shells, a great natural fertilizer for the garden

As I said before, eggshells provide proteins and minerals (magnesium, potassium, iron, etc.) in large quantities. However, if you don’t have a bin to compost your scraps and food waste, you can use these  peels more directly to fertilize your plants . For example, you can crumble the husks and place them in the bottom of the hole when planting. Another possibility is to place the crushed shells directly at the base of the plants. Use this natural fertilizer on some plants that like calcium, such as aromatic herbs (thyme, sage, rosemary, etc.), tomatoes, carrots, peppers, radishes, cabbages, beets, beans and the peas.

3) Eggshell water for the garden

To continue using them as fertilizer, you can crush the peels and add them to the irrigation water of your plants. This way you will enrich the water with calcium. Plus, this trick will work just as well with vegetable gardens as it does with planters or even green indoor plants.

4) Against undesirable plants and garden diseases

We often hear that crushed eggshell protects salads and other plants from snails and slugs. This may not be the most effective trick. However, if the infestation is not too serious, it will be more than enough. You can also put the crushed peels in a net hung on fruit trees to protect them from blisters or around plants (especially tomato or cucumber plants) to prevent blossom-end rot (also known as blossom-end necrosis or black bottom).

5) Eggshells for garden seedlings

Rich in calcium and biodegradable, eggshells are ideal for starting solid seedlings before planting them in pots or in the ground. However, to make them easier to decompose, always remember to break them up a little before putting them in the potting soil. This delicate step ensures better growth of the seedlings.

6) To give to the chickens

Chickens love this extra source of calcium, but don’t feed them as is! Rinse them, remove the inner membrane and dry them. Next, shred them into small pieces and place them in a container not far from your chickens’ feeder so they can help themselves.