DIY Eggshell Planters & Gardens

From Better Homes & Gardens

Eggshells contain an abundance of natural vitamins and minerals that help plants of all kinds grow stronger and live longer. One way to use the shells is to just throw them in a food processor and throw them in your garden’s soil, but also a great way to start a garden is inside of eggshells! Many people start this little project right after Easter – perfect timing with spring and to reuse the eggshells from Easter eggs!

Empty the shell completely by cracking the pointed end and breaking the shell down to where 2/3 to 3/4 of the shell is still there. Rinse the insides of spare egg residue, crack the bottom of the shell (for the roots to grow through and for oxygen), and stick it back in the carton. Fill the shell with planting soil, poke a hole with your finger for the seed or plant, and continue with more eggshells. Make sure to set your new garden near sunlight water as needed.

Martha Stewart Living Magazine says this is how to know when to move them from the shell to the real garden, “The first leaves to sprout will be the cotyledons or seed leaves, which supply nutrients to the young plant until the first true leaves (resembling those of the parent plant) appear. When plants have grown to about 3 inches and have at least two sets of true leaves, they are ready to be transplanted to the garden. (Remove them from the eggshells first.)”