And sprinkle broken shells on top of the soil to keep slugs and snails away!
Before you plant your tomatoes, peppers, or virtually any other vegetable this spring, “plant” a broken egg in the hole under the seedling.
Like fish, eggs (especially their shells) make the perfect fertilizer for garden soil.
Rich in minerals – like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, iron and zinc – they help plants grow bigger and stronger.
Tomatoes especially appreciate the calcium and iron boost, which helps protect against problems like blossom end rot, chlorosis and low fruit production. The more nutrients in your soil, the sweeter and more abundant your tomato yield will be.
While the egg itself provides nutrients, like sulfur, the majority of the nutrients our soil is lacking are in the shell. So for the most part, save your eggs for eating, but if you have any cracked or rotten ones, crack them in a hole under a plant.
Some people put the eggs in whole, but that takes a lot longer to break down (leading to terrible rotten smells) and could attract predators who will dig up your plants to get to them.
And save all your shells! Shells can be added to the soil in a variety of ways.
1. You can rinse, dry, and powder them in a blender, and sprinkle the powder in and on the soil for quick nutrient delivery.
2. For another quick flush of nutrients, water your plants with the cooled water from your boiled eggs.
3. Crush them in your hands and scatter the broken pieces on the soil, especially around the base of the stems. Not only will these eventually decay and add nutrients to the soil, they will keep slugs, snails and maybe even caterpillars away as their soft bodies would be cut on the sharp pieces.
4. Once you’ve applied plenty of egg shells directly to your soil, toss the rest in your compost. There’s really never a good excuse to throw this wonderful organic fertilizer in the trash!