Strawberries should look big and ready to pluck off the stem in late summer, but many gardeners get their harvest ruined by pesky slugs eating all their fruits. Slugs and snails are a big problem in August as the weather is starting to get more humid, but there is a better way to deal with them than using chemical sprays or pellets.
Michelle Dickson, a gardener and co-founder of Two The Sunny Side, has shared that adding crushed eggshells to the soil around plants is a natural way to protect your garden from these pests. She said: “Sprinkle the crushed shells around the base of your plants. The sharp eggshells will deter slugs, snails and other soft-bodied bugs from feasting on your garden.”
It may sound a little strange, but eggshells have sharp edges that both slugs and snails will avoid crawling over as it can harm them.
Eggshells are also abrasive so can draw moisture out of slugs to prevents them moving around properly and getting neat any crops.
Not only do eggshells act as a protective barrier around plants but they also contains nutrients calcium and potassium, which can help give strawberry plants a boost.
Michelle added: “Strawberry plants grow well with the addition of natural potassium from the eggshells.”
Potassium is the nutrient that helps fruit development so having it your strawberry soil can result in much bigger and sweeter fruit so you will get a much better harvest.
How to use eggshells to keep slugs away from strawberries
To begin, make sure you run the eggshells under running water to get rid of any egg residue. They need to be completely clean otherwise it will just attract other pests in the garden.
Next, place the eggshells on a tray and bake them in the oven or leave them near a sunny window. This helps make crushing the eggshells easier so you get more sharp edges.
Crush the eggshells so that they have lots of jagged pieces. Do not crush them too much as they will be useless if turned into a powder.
Then, sprinkle the eggshells into a thick layer around your strawberry plants. Make sure there are no gaps and top up the barrier regularly, especially after it has rained.
Your strawberries should stay safe and slug free so you can harvest for the rest of summer without worrying about pests eating away at your garden.