What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about food scraps? Most of us don’t really give them any thought, other than the fact that they need to go in the garbage. Why would any of us hang on to food scraps? As you are about to see, not only is it possible to use specific types of food scraps in amazing ways, it can help to save the environment and make your life a lot easier in the process. What type of food scraps of my talking about? I’m talking about eggshells and you are about to learn something amazing.
Eggshells are typically thrown in the trash or perhaps even put down the garbage disposal. Before we begin to discuss some of the benefits that eggshells can provide, it is important to tell you a little bit about the role that they can play in the garbage disposal. Most people don’t realize this but they can clog up the disposal and your pipes very easily. The garbage disposal is for anything that happens to go down the sink accidentally. Never put extra food into the garbage disposal thinking but it is a great way to get rid of it. You will likely regret it at some point.
Now that you understand why you shouldn’t put egg shells in the garbage disposal, we will talk about 13 different reasons why you would never want to throw them out in the first place. As you are about to learn, eggshells are absolutely jampacked with nutrients and they can be a welcome addition to your outdoor environment. If you have a garden, flowerpots or anything growing outdoors (even grass), you can use eggshells to help liven things up.
Here are 13 ways to use eggshells in the garden and around the home:
1. Use them as mulch
Mulching with eggshells adds a lot of nutrients to the soil. If you have enough eggshells available, it can even look pretty.
2. Birdfeeders
Having birds around offers many benefits. They control the insect population and are wonderful to watch. When you sprinkle eggshells around your yard or add them to birdseed, it provides calcium for our feathered friends.
3. Slug removal
Do you have a problem with slugs in your garden? You can keep them away by surrounding your young plants with ground eggshells. Slugs don’t like to go over the eggshells because it scratches them. Reapply after a rainstorm.
4. Splinters or cuts
The membrane on the inside of an eggshell has healing properties that make it good for splinters or cuts. Put some of the moist membranes on the cut and it will help it to heal faster.
5. Keep deer away
Deer are not fond of the smell of eggs so spread out some eggshells in your garden to keep deer from eating your plants.
6. Make some tea
Most of us would not consider drinking tea made out of old eggshells. It is something that you can make that is fantastic for the garden. Put 20 dry eggshells into a gallon of water after boiling it. Allow the mixture to steep overnight and strain off the liquid. It will add calcium and potassium to the ground.
7. It’s good for tomatoes
Tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers are sometimes calcium deficient and could result in blossom end rot. Crush up some dried eggshells and sprinkle it on the soil around these vegetables to prevent the problem.
8. Keep cats away
When cats like to use your garden as a litter box, sprinkle eggshells around the area. Cats don’t like stepping on eggshells.
9. Mineralize the soil
When you add eggshells to the soil, it helps to naturally add magnesium and calcium. Most soil is deficient in those minerals and the eggshells leech out those minerals gradually.
10. Drainage
When you add a lot of eggshells to the bottom of a planter, the soil will drain better. It helps to keep the plants healthier and improves air circulation. Be sure to replace the eggshells every couple of years.
11. Balance the pH
If you have acidic soil, adding eggshells can help to balance out the pH gradually.
12. Start your seeds
Using half eggshells in an egg carton is a great way to start your seeds. Add some soil and you are good to go.
13. Composting
If you have a compost heap, don’t forget to add your eggshells to it. Make sure that you crush them first.
H/T: HomeHacks
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