Help Prevent Blossom End Rot With Egg Shells

Help Prevent Blossom End Rot 

With Egg Shells

So chicken owners, what do you guys do with all those egg shells? Throw them out? Toss'em in a compost? Well here's one thing we started to do which will help those calcium needy plants! Read more if you guys wanna see how we use them!

Things you'll need:
Egg Shells
Drying Rack/Pan
Hammer
Food Processor
A Few Container of Some Type

Step 1: Save Those Shells and Let Them Dry

We start saving our egg shells in February. By the time planting comes around we have more then enough! As you use your eggs rinse them out real quick and place them somewhere to dry. You can just throw them in a container or putting on a drying rack for a few days. You don't have to rinse them it just helps with the smell over time!

Step 2: Smashing the Shells Down

As you start getting a collection of dry egg shells you can throw them in a bowl or container. We use old oatmeal containers to hold all of our egg shells. To save space breaking them up with your hammers or anything you wish! 

Step 3: Grind Them Up

When your containers of shells are full go ahead and place them in the food processor! When grinding them up you are going to want to make them as fine as you can get! When you get them into a fine powder go and place them back into your container. Those processed shells are now ready to be used!

So why are we telling you to grind up your egg shells??? Keep on reading!

Step 4, 5, & 6 Planting your Tomatoes and Peppers

The reason why we ground the shells up into a powder is so we can supply your tomatoes and peppers with a slow release of calcium through out the season!

Step 4: So it's pretty simple: 

Dig your recommended hole for your plant and place 1/2 cup of your shell powder at the bottom and then plant your plant as you would. 

Step 5: Add Some To The Top:

Once you get your plants in the ground if you have any shells left its safe to sprinkle it around the base of your plants! This will also slowly release calcium to the soil but also prevent soft body insects from climbing up and eating the leaves! 

Step 6: Add More As Needed 

This is up to you, if you want to keep saving eggs shells and doing it this way you can add more powder as the season goes on! We usually have more then enough during the time we save. So we end up throwing those egg shells in the compost buckets!