Add one natural ingredient to soil to improve quality and promote ‘healthy plant growth'

Natural Garden Hack: Boost Soil Health with Eggshells

For those seeking an organic method to enhance soil quality, a burgeoning gardener has revealed a practical tip. The best part? The solution is likely already in your refrigerator.

The Container Gardener, a TikTok user, advises individuals with eggs to retain their shells, highlighting them as a potentially effective plant nutrient. Eggshells can supply plants with a wealth of minerals. Therefore, consider utilizing them in your garden instead of discarding them.

Eggshells: A Rich Source of Nutrients for Plants

In their post caption, they explained: “Don’t discard eggshells! Eggshells offer multiple advantages for plants due to their high calcium content, which aids in improving soil texture, reducing acidity, and delivering vital minerals for robust plant development, particularly for alkaline-soil plants and those susceptible to blossom-end rot.”

Once emptied, rinse the shells under running water. Subsequently, arrange them on a paper towel, spacing them apart and allowing them to air dry.

Place the dried shells in a microwave-safe container and microwave for 30 seconds. Grind them into a fine powder using a blender or food processor.

Scatter the resulting shell powder around your plants. A key benefit of employing eggshells as soil fertilizer is their significant calcium carbonate concentration, also known as lime.

An average eggshell comprises approximately two grams of calcium, constituting 95 percent of its composition. Calcium contributes to strengthening plant cell walls, fostering healthy blooms.

The Container Gardener further elaborated: “Crushed eggshells can enhance soil texture by introducing ‘grittiness’ and improved aeration, especially in dense clay soils. They assist in moisture retention, making it more accessible to plants.

“The calcium present in eggshells can aid in counteracting soil acidity, establishing a more favorable environment for plants that thrive in neutral to slightly alkaline pH levels.”

Additional Benefits and Plant Suitability

Beyond calcium, eggshells also contain a spectrum of plant-friendly nutrients, including trace amounts of phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, zinc, iron, and manganese.

Gardeners World notes that plants like brassicas benefit from lime, while others, such as rhododendrons, prefer acidic soil types. Eggshells are also suitable for certain vegetables, including potatoes, cucumbers, peppers, courgettes, marrows, and squash.

For plants that dislike lime, such as blueberries, pieris, and azaleas, it’s best to avoid eggshells. Gardeners World also advises assessing soil pH to determine its acidity or alkalinity before applying soil amendments.

Eggshells as a Natural Pest Deterrent

Another advantage of utilizing eggshells in your garden is their potential to repel garden pests. They can serve as a solution for slug control. According to The Spruce, the nutrients in eggshells can help lower soil acidity, benefit fast-growing plants prone to calcium deficiency, and act as a deterrent against pests like slugs and snails.