Container Gardens
Eggshell seedlings
Here’s a great little tip I picked up the other day while doing some reading – start your seedlings in half of an eggshell.
Having raised chickens as a young man, I observed and learned that saving your eggshells from breakfast, grinding them up and then spreading them in your backyard garden can be a great soil fertilizer. We had a special basket under the kitchen sink where we dropped the egg shells to be saved and taken out to the garden at a later time – looking back, I can think of several more safe and sanitary places to save eggshells.
But here’s a great idea for getting your garden seedlings started – use half an eggshell as a small “pot” to get your seeds started. Simply take a half of an eggshell, pop a small hole in the bottom of the shell (for drainage purposes) and place it up right in an egg carton (along with 11 others half shells). Add some potting soil to each one and plant your seeds in the soil. When planting, always be sure to check the planting depth of each type of plant under the planting section of that plant at www.essentialgardenguide.com. Once the seedling begins to grow and you’re ready to plant, gently crush the eggshell in your hand and place the shell, soil and seedling in your garden plot. This gentle transfer from the egg carton to the ground will allow the tender roots of the plant to remain undisturbed and the eggshell will provide a good fertilizer to give your seedling a great start.
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