06/04/2026
Let's talk about eggshells!
All year long, I save our eggshells, bake them at 350°F for about 10–15 minutes to dry them out, then grind them into a fine powder. Once they're powdered, I either add them directly around heavy-feeding plants like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and squash, or toss them into the compost pile over winter.
Eggshells are made up primarily of calcium carbonate, which is an important nutrient for plant growth. Calcium helps support strong cell walls and healthy plant development. The finer you grind them, the faster they can break down and become available to the soil.
A few things worth knowing:
🥚 Powdered eggshells break down much faster than whole shells.
🥚 They won't instantly fix a calcium deficiency. Eggshells are more of a slow-release soil amendment that improves your soil over time.
🥚 Composting them first speeds up the process even more.
🥚 Worms seem to appreciate finely crushed eggshells in vermicompost systems because the grit helps them process organic matter.
🥚 If you keep chickens, you're essentially cycling nutrients from your garden to your chickens and back into your garden again.
No, eggshells aren't a miracle cure for every tomato problem, and blossom end rot isn't always caused by a lack of calcium. Watering inconsistencies often play a much bigger role. But as a free source of calcium that would otherwise end up in the trash, I'll happily keep saving them.
Do you save your eggshells, or do they head straight for the garbage?
