Use Eggshells for Planting and Growing Seedlings
Due to the popularity of quarantine baked goods and easy-to-prepare egg dishes, we may have more eggshells than usual. Not everyone has the time and energy to devote themselves to washing and preserving eggshells, but if you fall into this category, we have a new (literally) tiny piece of advice for you. We’ve already covered a few eggshell-based tricks, such as cleaning slugs in the garden or bleaching laundry, but this one is more attractive because it involves growing baby plants.
How to grow seedlings in eggshell
If you’ve always wanted to have your own garden but didn’t know where to start, this method may be the answer. The Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs website has a whole handy guide to growing eggshell seedlings, even if you’ve never done it before. Here’s what to do:
To learn more about growing plants at home, watch the video below:
Collect your supplies
In fact, you only need four things:
- A handful of eggshells, peeled and cut in half
- Egg carton
- Pre-Moistened Starter Seed Mix
- Seeds for herbs or small flowers
But how do you get a handful of eggshells, peeled and cut in half? Pete and Jerry suggest breaking the eggs, then cutting them in half (this doesn’t have to be perfect) and washing them, leaving all the raw eggs in a container that you can later use for cooking or baking. Another option is to just use the eggs as usual, but take the time and try to split them in half as you use them, then rinse and store until you have enough eggs to start the planting project. Either way, you get the shells you want. And you can use either the egg carton or the one you were holding onto.
Plant seeds in eggshell
Start by placing an empty shell in each slot in the egg carton. Then proceed to planting. According to their instructions :
Using a teaspoon, fill each empty eggshell with the original seed mixture to the top, leaving a few millimeters of space between the soil and the edge of the shell. After adding soil, use your finger to make a small indentation in the soil to make room for the seeds. Place two seeds in each hole and sprinkle gently with earth.
Take care of your seedlings
Now that your seeds are in the soil, your job is to take care of them. Make sure you keep the cardboard box on a windowsill or other place that has plenty of light and, ideally, warmer than the rest of your home.
And like any seedling, water is really important, although you don’t want to overdo it. The idea is to keep the soil moist without over-watering (remember, eggshells don’t have small drainage holes). It is best to water these baby plants with a spray bottle, spraying them gently every two to three days.
Cut roots
Since you have planted two seeds in each eggshell, there is a good chance that two seedlings will grow. In this case, you can cut off the smaller of the two sprouts to help the other grow.
How to transplant seedlings
Eventually, your seedlings will grow too large for their eggshell – usually when they reach a few inches in height or grow their second pair of leaves. When this happens, you are ready to move the plants to their new home.
Outdoor gardens
If you decide to move your seedlings to an outdoor garden, you will need to take an extra step to get them ready for this. This is called “hardening” and means “gently rubbing the plants with your hand, simulating the wind, and gradually leaving them outside for longer periods of time to help them adapt to the outdoor weather.” It takes a little more planning from you, but it’s a small price to pay for your own beautiful outdoor garden.
Clay pots / indoor gardens
If you prefer to move the seedlings to a clay pot or home garden, you can skip the hardening process. And if you didn’t realize it, you’re going to put all the eggshells in the pot. The shell decomposes naturally and acts as a fertilizer, providing nutrients to the sprouts. As for the specific transfer process, I’ll give it to Pete and Jerry :
When transplanting seedlings, the first step is to fill a large enough pot or bed with the same soil you used for the eggshell. Then take the eggshell with the plant inside and very, very gently crush the outside of the egg so that a few pieces of the outer layer of the shell break off. Then, plant the eggshells in a new pot or garden, making sure the top of the eggshell is completely sunk.
If you decide to plant herbs, your plants should be large enough to be cut and used for cooking for several weeks. Otherwise, enjoy watching your flowers grow.