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DIY Fertilizer: How to Use Eggshells for Your Garden

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Eggshells are often thrown away, but did you know they make an excellent natural fertilizer? They’re packed with calcium and other nutrients that help plants grow strong, healthy, and productive. 

Instead of tossing them in the trash, you can turn eggshells into a powerful fertilizer for your garden. The best part? It’s free! 

A bowl filled with broken eggshells on a wooden surface.

Using eggshells helps you save money on expensive store-bought fertilizers while reducing kitchen waste. Why spend more when you’ve got an amazing, natural plant booster sitting right in your kitchen?

In this guide, we’ll teach you step-by-step how to make eggshell fertilizer, plus share additional creative ways to use them in your garden.

What You’ll Need to Make Eggshell Fertilizer

A bowl of eggshells, a clear bottle with liquid, and an empty glass jar placed on a red tray. Red flowering plants are in the background.

You only need a few simple items to get started:

  • Eggshells (save as many as you can)
  • Vinegar (regular white vinegar works great)
  • A jar for mixing
  • A pitcher for watering your plants

That’s it! With just these basic items, you can create a nutrient-rich fertilizer without spending a penny.

Related: Kill Weeds the Natural Way: Our DIY Solution Costs Pennies and Kills Poison Ivy! (With Video)

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Make Eggshell Fertilizer

Step 1: Clean and Dry the Eggshells

A tray with twenty-four white eggs, some of which are cracked, arranged on a dark rectangular baking sheet.

After using your eggs, rinse the shells to remove any leftover egg whites or yolk. This helps prevent bad smells and keeps pests away.

Next, spread the clean shells on a baking sheet and bake them at 350°F (175°C) for 20 minutes. This dries them out, makes them easier to crush, and kills any bacteria.

Step 2: Crush the Eggshells into Powder

A bowl with coarse grains of oat bran inside, placed on a wooden surface.

Once the shells have cooled, crush them into small pieces. The smaller, the better, because plants absorb nutrients more easily from fine powder.

You can:

  • Use a mortar and pestle for a hands-on approach.
  • Toss them in a blender for quicker results.

Step 3: Make the Calcium Fertilizer

A clear jar filled with a coarse, sandy substance sits on a red surface.

Now it’s time to turn those shells into liquid fertilizer.

  1. Put 2 tablespoons of eggshell powder into your jar.
  2. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar.
  3. Wait 3-5 minutes. You’ll see bubbles, that’s the calcium reacting with the vinegar, making it easier for plants to absorb.

Step 4: Dilute and Feed Your Plants

Watering a potted plant with red flowers using a plastic pitcher.

After the bubbling stops:

  • Pour the mixture into a pitcher with 2 liters of water.
  • Water your plants with this calcium-rich solution.

This works great for plants like tomatoes, peppers, and leafy greens that need lots of calcium. Use it every two weeks, especially during the fruiting season, to keep your plants healthy and productive.

Pro Tip:

No time to make liquid fertilizer? Just crush the eggshells and sprinkle the powder directly around your plants. The shells will slowly break down, feeding your plants over time.

Related: Need a Greener Garden? Here’s How to Start Sustainable Gardening Today!

Other Ways to Use Eggshells in Your Garden

Eggshells aren’t just for fertilizer. Here are more smart ways to use them to help your garden and your wallet.

Eggshells in Compost: Adding Nutrients to Your Soil

A hand sprinkling crushed eggshells over soil.

Adding eggshells to your compost pile is an easy way to boost its nutrients. The calcium from the shells makes your compost even healthier for your garden.

How to Compost Eggshells:

  • Crush the shells before adding them to your compost. Smaller pieces break down faster.
  • Mix them with other compost materials like fruit scraps, coffee grounds, and leaves.

Over time, the shells will decompose and add valuable minerals to your soil.

Related: Composting Tricks: 19 Tips to Turn Your Food Waste into Gold

Eggshells as a Natural Pest Deterrent

Eggshells can help keep pests like slugs, snails, and some insects away from your plants. The sharp edges of crushed shells are uncomfortable for these pests to crawl over.

How to Use:

  • Crush the shells into rough, jagged pieces.
  • Sprinkle them around the base of your plants to create a barrier.

As the shells break down, they’ll also add nutrients to the soil, so it’s a double win!

Eggshells as Seed Starters

Eggshells make great mini pots for starting seeds. They’re free, biodegradable, and full of nutrients that help young plants grow.

How to Start Seeds in Eggshells:

  • Crack the top of the egg, remove the contents, and rinse the shell.
  • Fill the shell with potting soil and plant your seeds.
  • Place the eggshells in an egg carton to keep them steady.

When your seedlings are ready to go outside, crush the shell gently and plant the whole thing. The shell will break down and feed the plant as it grows.

Related: What Vegetables Can You Grow In Pots and Containers?

Eggshells as a Natural pH Balancer for Soil

If your garden soil is too acidic, eggshells can help balance the pH. The calcium in the shells reduces acidity, creating better growing conditions for many plants.

How to Use:

  • Crush the eggshells into a fine powder.
  • Mix the powder into the soil, especially around plants that prefer less acidic conditions like broccoli, cabbage, and spinach.

This helps your plants absorb nutrients better and grow healthier over time.

Related: 23 Clever Ways to Reuse Your Coffee Grounds and Save Money

Eggshells as a Bird Feed Supplement

Eggshells are also great for birds, especially during nesting season when they need extra calcium to lay strong eggs.

How to Prepare:

  • Bake the eggshells at 350°F for 20 minutes to sterilize them.
  • Crush them into small pieces.
  • Add the crushed shells to your bird feeder or sprinkle them around the garden.

This helps local birds stay healthy, and many of them will also eat garden pests, giving you extra natural pest control.

Benefits of Using Eggshells in Your Garden

Eggshells offer so many benefits, and the best part is, they’re free! Here’s why you should start using them in your garden today.

Eco-Friendly

Using eggshells in your garden is a simple way to reduce waste. Instead of adding to landfills, you’re giving kitchen scraps a new purpose. It’s an easy step toward a greener, more sustainable lifestyle.

Cost-Effective

Why buy expensive fertilizers when you can make your own for free? Eggshell fertilizer costs nothing, you’re literally turning trash into treasure. It’s a great way to save money while keeping your garden healthy.

Improves Plant Health

Eggshells are packed with calcium, which helps plants grow strong stems, healthy roots, and fight off diseases like blossom end rot. Regularly adding eggshell fertilizer helps your plants stay healthy and produce more fruits and vegetables.

Versatile

Eggshells aren’t just for fertilizer. They can be used as compost boosters, pest deterrents, seed starters, pH balancers, and even bird supplements. You’re getting multiple gardening benefits from one simple item you’d normally throw away.

How to Make Eggshell Fertilizer

A bowl filled with broken eggshells on a wooden surface.

How to Make Eggshell Fertilizer

Don't throw away your eggshells! Learn how to turn them into a powerful fertilizer with our step-by-step guide on making eggshell fertilizer.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Equipment

  • Eggshell Fertilizer

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoon powdered eggshell
  • 2 tablespoon vinegar
  • Pitcher
  • Jar

Instructions
 

  • After using your eggs, rinse the shells to remove any leftover egg whites or yolk.
    A bowl containing cracked eggs, both whole and fragmented, is placed on a red tray. Red flowers frame the scene.
  • Spread the clean shells on a baking sheet and bake them at 350°F (175°C) for 20 minutes.
    Twenty white and off-white eggs arranged in rows on a black tray.
  • Once the shells have cooled, crush them into small pieces.
    A bowl with coarse grains of oat bran inside, placed on a wooden surface.
  • Put 2 tablespoons of eggshell powder into your jar.
    A red spoon rests inside a glass jar filled with white grains, set on a red background with some red flowers in the bottom left corner.
  • Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar.
    A red spoon holds liquid above a glass jar containing a beige mixture. A blurred red flower is visible in the foreground, all set against a red surface.
  • After 3-5 minutes, pour the mixture into a pitcher with 2 liters of water.
    Close-up of a clear pitcher with water, next to a container being poured, on a red surface with red flowers nearby.
  • Water your plants with this calcium-rich solution.
    Water pouring from a white container onto green mint leaves.

Save Money and Boost Your Garden with Eggshells

Eggshells are an easy, cost-free way to keep your garden healthy and thriving. They help reduce waste, save money on fertilizers, and provide essential nutrients like calcium for strong plant growth. 

Using eggshells as fertilizer, pest control, seed starters, and more makes gardening both budget-friendly and eco-friendly. Simple steps with big results, right from your kitchen. 

Start saving your eggshells today and watch your garden flourish!

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