Clever Ways to Use Eggshells in Your Garden

How many eggs does your family consume? In the US alone, it’s estimated that a person consumes around 279 eggs per year. That’s a whole lotta yolks folks!

Most importantly, that’s a lot of eggshells going straight into the trash. Eggshells are packed with nutrients that plants love, and they can be recycled back into your garden to boost the overall health of your soil, benefit the local wildlife, and even combat weeds. 

We share 4 ways you can start making the most of your eggshells instead of tossing them.

1. Eggshells nourish the soil

You might’ve heard of people adding eggshells to their compost heap, or crushing them up and sprinkling the shards on their soil. Eggshells contain phosphorous, calcium, and magnesium, which are all beneficial minerals that boost soil health.

This is the most common way to use eggshells, whether you have a container garden or flower bed. 

2. Eggshells can be used as mulch

Mulch is ideal for helping plants retain moisture and also for preventing weed growth. Crushed eggshells offer the same effect as mulch, and some people choose this method over wood mulch.

The only downside is that it takes a ton of eggshells to make enough plant cover, which means lots of omelets in your future.

3. Eggshells can be fed to wild birds

Songbirds are often calcium deficient, and eggshells are the perfect source for them to get just what they need to stay healthy. By simply scattering crushed eggshells in your garden, birds will consume the fragments.

It’s a win-win, the birds get their daily dose of calcium, and you get a yard filled with beautiful native birds.

4. Eggshells may repel pests

It’s not 100% proven that eggshells repel insects such as beetles and slugs, but some gardeners swear by it. It never hurts to try and see, right?

Just like the methods above, simply scatter crushed eggshells around your plants and keep an eye on the pest situation. If anything, at least your soil will get an added nutrient boost.