The new year comes with all sorts of important jobs, and it turns out putting eggshells in your garden is one of them. UK households have been urged to complete the task ahead of spring, and there are many benefits to doing it soon.
In January, most people tend to spend less time in the garden as a result of the weather; however, a gardening expert has recently revealed why you may want to think about completing one task outdoors. According to Ish, known as gardening.with.ish on TikTok, it could make a big difference to the outside of your property.
In a recent clip, he revealed what people need to know. It turns out, you shouldn’t throw the eggshells away, as they have better uses when scattered in your garden.
Ish said: “Today in the garden, we’re going to be looking at the benefits of eggshells in your winter garden. So, let’s crack on.
“One of the first reasons you could use eggshells in your garden is for prevention of slugs getting at your precious plants because, quite frankly, the crisp and sharp edges of shells are not appealing to slugs. They will not go over it. They don’t like it.
“So, you can apply this right onto the soil, and that should stop them from crawling over and hopefully having a bit of a bite on your plants.”
He added: “Another fantastic way of using eggshells in your garden is to make a slow-releasing fertiliser and, believe it or not, these are absolutely fantastic for things like root growth and transfer of nutriets to the plant.
“They are so high in things like calcium. You can either put them in a grip seal bag like here, and really crunch them down. Get them into almost like a fine shell, almost a powder, or you can stick them straight in a blender.
“You can mix that in with multi-purpose compost or put them at the base of your plant to offer a boost of nutrients, and there’s also no harm as well in sticking this directly on top and watering it down. Because they are quite hard, they break down fairly slowly, which means you get a nice slow-releasing fertiliser and nothing too aggressive.”
Ish said eggshells also have one more use, and it involves your compost heap. He said they’re great to add once broken down, as the natural calcium found in them can be beneficial.
If you want a slightly quicker composting heap, he said they’re something good to include. According to Ish, they really are that versatile.
Why should we put eggshells in the garden?
Little you may know, there are various reasons why people should put eggshells in their gardens. Primarily, they work to add calcium to the soil, which helps to strengthen plants and acts as a slow-release fertiliser.
As well as this, they can be used as a natural pest barrier, which will help to keep things like slugs and snails away. Whole eggs can also be buried for slow nutrient release, but it’s important to note this can attract pests and create outdoor smells unless buried deeply.
Calcium also helps prevent issues like blossom end rot, which is a common problem in tomatoes, peppers and squash. Not to mention, crushed shells can help balance soil pH and add minerals like phosphorus and magnesium.
They’re also useful for helping to start seeds. Eggshells can be used as biodegradable pots for starting seeds, which are then planted directly into the ground.
There are a number of reasons why they are so beneficial. They could help to boost your garden in many ways ahead of spring.