10 Smart Ways to Use Eggshells at Your Allotment

We have a routine supply of eggshells, egg boxes, and coffee grounds thanks to the lovely people from Café Connect at Mannofield. These are placed at our general recycling point located beside the Bothy and are being refreshed every two weeks. Feel free to use as much as you want, but please do not remove the plastic boxes we use to collect/rotate the items from Café Connect.

With a steady supply of eggshells coming our way, here are 10 smart ways to put them to good use at your allotment. From boosting your soil to keeping pests at bay, eggshells are a versatile and natural addition to your gardening toolkit. Let’s dive in and make the most of this fantastic resource!

1. Pest Deterrent: Crushed eggshells around your plants can keep slugs and snails at bay. They don’t like crawling over the sharp bits—nature’s own barbed wire!
2. Soil Booster: Mix crushed eggshells into your compost or directly into the soil. They add calcium, which is great for plants like tomatoes and peppers.
3. Seed Starters: Use halved eggshells as tiny biodegradable pots. Fill them with soil and seeds, then plant the whole thing in the ground once the seedlings are ready.
4. pH Balancer: If your soil is too acidic, eggshells can help neutralize it. Just crush them up and mix them in.
5. Bird Food: Bake and crush eggshells to add to bird feed. It gives them a calcium boost, especially in nesting season.
6. Blossom End Rot Fix: To prevent blossom end rot in tomatoes and peppers, add crushed eggshells to the planting hole. This adds calcium directly where it’s needed.
7. Natural Fertilizer: Make a calcium-rich fertilizer by soaking crushed eggshells in water for a few days. Use the liquid to water your plants.
8. Compost Activator: Toss eggshells into your compost pile. They decompose slowly, helping to aerate the compost and add essential nutrients over time.
9. Garden Mulch: Sprinkle crushed eggshells around your plants. It acts as a mulch, keeping the soil moist and deterring pests.
10. Rooting Powder Substitute: Crushed eggshells can act as a natural rooting powder. Dip the cut ends of your plant cuttings in powdered eggshell before planting to encourage root growth.

Happy gardening!