Eggs, which contain a wide range of nutrients, minerals, and protein, are one of the most healthy food items on the planet.
Each person in the world consumes around 150 to 200 eggs a year. What happens to the eggshells after that?
The shell of an egg is composed of 96% calcium carbonate, which is bound together by proteins.
Although eggshells can be used as a fertilizer, most people typically dispose of them in the garbage or kitchen waste bin.
There are several creative uses for eggshells, and if you are among them, please take a look at these six.
You can use eggshells in your garden as long as they are properly handled.
This involves gently tossing them in the garden after you have scooped the egg whites and yolk into your dish.
They must then be washed with cool running water and given a good scrubbing.
Before you start using them, make sure that they are clean and free of traces of egg residue.
They should then be placed in an open container and dried quickly, moving them outside on sunny days will speed up the process.
Once they have been completely dry, you can use a mallet or wooden spoon to make small eggshell pieces.
For smaller eggshell pieces, you can use a mortar and pestle to grind them into a fine powder.
You’re ready to use them in the garden.
You can add calcium to your soil by tossing them in, though it will take some time for them to break down.
It’s important to remove any egg residue from your shells to prevent the development of pests in your soil.
You can also add crumbled eggshells to the bottom of your planting holes.
Although calcium is a secondary mineral for plants, your garden will benefit from the added nutrients, especially if you have a variety of plants that are prone to getting affected by low calcium levels, such as peppers and tomatoes.
Tomatoes can benefit from the use of eggshells in their planting holes, as they can help prevent the development of blossom end rot.
You can distribute eggshells over the area where you plan to plant next spring, and they can be tilled into the soil once the ground warms up.
If you’re not fond of keeping eggshells on the ground throughout the winter, you can store them until the planting season begins.
Although calcium isn’t regarded as a primary mineral for any plant, your garden will appreciate its addition, especially if you have a variety of plants that are prone to getting affected by low calcium levels, such as peppers and tomatoes.
Planting eggshells around tomato plants can help reduce the likelihood of blossom end rot, which is a common issue with this plant.
If you have a problem with snails and slugs in your garden, you can sprinkle eggshells around the plants that these pests prefer to eat.
The sharp edges of eggshells can help prevent slugs and snails from crossing the barrier.
They will then leave your garden in search of more opportunities to pick your plants.
Since eggshells biodegrade once they’re in the soil, they can also be used as seed-starter pots.
When you open eggshells, try to break a small hole at its pointier end.
Clean the insides of the eggshells, then cut a small hole in the bottom.
Place them inside a carton, fill the shells with moist soil, and add seeds.
After the seedlings have outgrown their pots, you can transplant them into bigger pots or even into the garden.
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