Це відео не доступне.
Перепрошуємо.
How and Why I Use Eggshells to Fertilize my Organic Garden
Вставка
- Опубліковано 31 гру 2015
- How I use Eggshells to fertilize my Organic Garden.
Over the last year I have been investigating the science behind garden practices methods and products in the Testing Garden Assumptions Series.
As a part of this series I have taken a look at a number of resources often sighted as being able to be used to fertilize your garden. I focused on free and local resources because I wanted to see if I could be a little more sustainable and hopefully fertilize my garden for years to come for free.
In order to analyze the fertilizer potential of a material I look at two main areas. The organic macro nutrients such as Nitrogen Phosphorus and Potassium that are required in higher concentrations and the trace elements or micro nutrients that are equally as important however required in significantly smaller concentrations.
Plants require or gain benefit from 21 elements of these 15 are commonly tested for in our analysis. Of the 6 remaining some are not commonly tested for while others such as Carbon, Oxygen and Hydrogen are gasses that are in consistent concentrations in our atmosphere.
So far free and local resources that have shown fertilizer potential are Coffee Grounds, Tea Leaves, Comfrey, Autumn Leaves, Wood ash or Woodchips and even Human Urine. Today I thought I would take a look at another commonly recommended organic amendment Eggshells.
The main recommendation is that eggshells are made primarily of Calcium Carbonate and calcium is required by many plants and is critical for things such as healthy tomato production helping to avoid things like blossom end rot.
The assumption that eggshells have high concentrations of calcium is quite correct. Researchers in the Netherlands had eggshells from a number of sources analyzed and found that the concentration of calcium in eggshells averaged around 390 mg/g or 39% of the shell.
The calcium in eggshells is not immediately available to plants. It needs to be in its elemental form as appose to the calcium carbonate. Some sources recommend treating eggshells with vinegar or acetic acid to release the calcium. Unfortunately while egg shells will react with vinegar it does not release the elemental calcium it simply binds it and neutralizes the acid.
Related Videos:
Testing Garden Assumptions Playlist:
• Testing Garden Assumpt...
References:
Research paper from the Netherlands:
ps.oxfordjourna...
Other interesting research:
www.hi-tm.com/R...
www.planetnatur...
web.extension.i...
www.medicaldail...
Check us out on
UA-cam: / stephenlegaree14
Webpage: www.albertaurbangarden.ca
Google +: google.com/+StephenLegaree
Facebook: / albertaurbangarden
Twitter: / northern1485
Pintrest: / aburbangarden
OH MY GOD! This is it! Thank you! Finally! Someone who's speaking my language! While you're explaining it and actually digging into the micro verse, now these steps make sense! It feels more like taking care of a mini-ecosystem. 😄
I am so glad I could help!
Not sure if you check comments on these older videos, but I'd love to see a similar analysis on the byproducts of the brewing industry. Spent grain, trüb, and fermenting vat sediments.
I have been picking up and composting all the spent yeast cake and fermenting sediments from a local brewing and have been curious what I'm actually adding. Based on how it acts and smells, I assume it's heavy in nitrogen, but I'd love to see what else is hanging around in there.
I do have some content on spent brewery grains check for my composting videos for them :)
One year when I was visiting my brother, he showed me the problem he was having with blossom end rot on his tomatoes. At the time I was taking calcium supplements so took a few and ground them up to a fine powder. I sprinkled it around his tomatoes and watered it in real good. He didn't really see how that would do any good but in a few days the problem was gone.
You would need a TON of eggshells to add to a hot compost pile to be able to mix thoroughly, so unless you are friends with with a short-order restaurant, there is a better way for smaller gardens. I have a blender that is used exclusively for garden minerals: Charcoal, (rinsed) eggshells and old drywall. I powder EVERYTHING for a quick breakdown. I mix this into the soil like any other mineral. For immediate use on tomatoes, the shell sand or gypsum sand will dissolve into the vinegar. After it stops fizzing, put the slurry into the bottom of the hole and add whatever else you want before putting the plants in and filling over the roots. It works great. Since a lot of the other things I use, such as sulphur, are acidic, spreading eggshell or gypsum sand helps balance out the pH.
I'm not trying to be a know-it-all here, but I have been the chief conservation officer for the only eastern redwood forest in America, and the sole wild dawn redwood forest outside China since 1995, and just about everything that I have learned about the forest can be applied to the garden as well.
I rinse my eggshells and dry them out thoroughly. I have a dedicated electric coffee grinder that I use to powder the egg shells.
That is a great way to increase surface area for them to decay and release that calcium !
Hey Dakota! Couldn't agree more. Eggshells take forever to deteriorate. I wash them in dish water then leave them on a plate in a sunny window to dry out. Then grind them in a coffee grinder (just like you) until they're a powder. Then, its to the garden or the compost.
Captain Ron Yeah, that is the best way that I have found to use them.
Thanks for another informative video. Several years ago I started adding eggshells to my compost but I noticed they took forever to break down. So now I rinse them under hot water (or in dishwater if its available), leave them out to dry then pulverize them to a powder in a cheap coffee grinder before adding to my compost. I have no idea if they decompose more quickly this way but intuitively it makes sense.
As for hot composting, that's my holy grail! I've been trying to create a hot compost for many years without success - can't seem to get just the right mix of greens, browns, moisture and aeration. Maybe this year.
+Captain Ron grinding the shells up sure does make a huge difference. It increases the surface area that bacteria can get to the egg and speeds up the decomposition process.
Hot composts once you get the ratio right are fairly easy however as you are finding out it takes some getting used to ;)
You're solid man! You can see how much research you put in. Great job.
Thank you my friend! I do put a lot of work into each video in the hopes of presenting the best possible information to you.
Great video! My grandma used to leave egg shells to dry and months later use them on her plants, on top of the soil. She said it also helped with keeping snails and slugs away. She had the best garden I've ever seen.
It would be interesting to learn about horsetail tea or shave grass tea benefits in gardening.
Thanks for your videos and keep up the good work!!
+Fer Jen isn't it wonderful how great our grandparents were at gardening! Ill take a look at the teas you mentioned and put them on my list ;)
I have an old meat grinder on my deck that I use to grind the shells. It does a great job
Sorry I sent my previous comment accidentally before it was completed and proofread. But so far you should have gotten the gist of it. The second part of my message addresses the surface area issue discussed in the video. After my shells are dry and my coffee can is full, I crush them down into the can using the bottom of a heavy pint size beer glass. This gets the pieces smaller than a couple centimeters. When my can is mostly full of crushed eggshells, and they are completely dry, I pour them into my Waring blender. By gradually adding the crushed shells to a blender if you pace it right, it will ultimately turn them quickly into an incredibly fine powder. High speed practically takes them to the consistency of flour! I then sprinkle this into my raised beds and blend it into the soil. I also put a higher concentration blended into the soil directly underneath my tomatoes and pepper plants when they are being transferred into the garden. Hope this helps.
I am so delighted that you addressed the safety issue re using eggshells in gardens. I don't treat my eggshells and have never had a problem (but wasn't aware of the pathogen danger until about a year ago). I was wondering if the danger of pathogens was more of a myth and/or if they would be a non-issue once introduced into a healthy living soil.
I am glad I could help ! It seems as if the risk is a little over stated :)
Good info, Stephen. Most of my eggshells go into our compost or heat treated and crushed to powder for my worm bins. I heat treated mostly because they broke into powder more easily. Didn't think about destroying the salmonella. I have the same goal as you do. I have been learning to use what is around me in order not to buy fertilizers. Like you I haven't used store bought fertilizer in 2 years.
Heat treating definitely makes it easier to break them apart.
It felt really odd the first year I was checking my plants all the time for signs of stress this year I was able to take it much easier !
If I may ask what other homemade fertilizers are you using?
Great video and another great local and "free" resource. Mr. Dirt and I grind our egg shells in an old coffee grinder and add the "shell powder" to our worm bins. By turn it into very find particles the worms are able to break it down much faster, and grit is needed by the worms as a digestive aid. If soil is not lacking calcium adding crushed shells to mulch or hot compost as you demonstrated is a great way to go.
+Momma Dirt I believe that Patrick from the One Yard Revolution Channel does the same thing with his egg shells. The worms use it in their guts to break down other food ion I remember correctly.
how is Mr. Dirt doing these days?
+Alberta Urban Garden Simple Organic and Sustainable He has been on vacation since Dec. 18th; I believe some of the grump has worn off. He actually entertained a rather lengthy discussion on the benefits or expected benefits of egg shells. Then he went all science on me with scenarios, variables, and theories.
His consensus is for the most part adding egg shells does no harm, they provide resources for soil life and can provide a slow release source for small quantities of nutrients. We have used them for decades.
Then there is his “is it a waste of one’s time” scenario …. If one has soil that tends to be acidic, such as ours, the use egg shells would not be a waste of one’s time; however, if one has an alkaline soil, egg shells would provide little benefit, so why bother. He believes with possibly the exception of adding a large quantity of egg shells using them in alkaline soil would likely not be problematic, but why waste one’s time. (Yet one of 100,000 reasons to get a soil test and know your soil)
He says he would have to do some research to say how large a quantity of egg shells it would take to see any dramatic change in pH and calcium. It was about this point he broke off into variables and theories.
I have acidic soil and over time would expect small amounts of calcium to be released as it is taken up for other reasons. Likely even acidic soils would hit equilibrium.
I agree its a do no harm method that takes what would be waste and adds it to the garden. No harm and likely some benefit over the long run.
That said I think your husband has hit the nail on the head. More research is required and I believe Ill do an episode in the future on how fast or if eggshells do intact break down.
Great idea on using eggshells in the garden Stephan. I will boil the shells to clean them, put in a bag in the freezer, save them until having enough to warrant putting in the oven for 30 min. at about 200 degrees. Then depending on my laziness factor, I crush them with a rolling pin or make powder of them in a coffee mill. This last is for my worms; the powder is easier for the worms to consume and it helps them digest food in their gizzard. As you noted, the shells are Calcium carbonate, I use a crushed Calcium citrate tablet mixed in water if my plants need it. I do believe a soil test should be done before thinking your soil needs any addition.
+The Abled Gardener nice, yes I use a coffee grinder too.
It sounds like you process your eggs quite well for your worms. As mentioned it is important for the worms digestion!
Just out of curiosity why do you boil and oven them. The boiling initially will sterilize them.
I have yet to look at calcium citrate. I will have to now. And I agree a soil test is likely fairly important before using store bought amendments.
+Alberta Urban Garden Simple Organic and Sustainable I boil them just to get them cleaned up (left-over egg yolk and whites) before storing them in the freezer, then the oven will dries them before the coffee mill. Maybe overkill, I know one of those will kill pathogens. I try to remember the surgical mask when milling them as I can't stand breathing in the shell dust. Being ill, I watch everything I do I guess, LOL.
That is a good point for you! safety first!
Thanks again Stephen. Best wishes for the New Year. Bob.
+Bob Lt (BobMel's Gardening) You are more than welcome! Happy New Year from my Family to Yours!
Hi Stephen. Please make more great videos about different foods, etc., that will add nutrition to a compost pile.
+Alan Mithel I certainly will my friend!
I grind my shells with a vitamix until powder, more the consistency of talc. I add some vinegar and it foams and froth's like crazy. I have been told vinegar helps to break them down but I also like to add some vinegar to my pepper, tomatoes and bluberries. This uyear, I added it to my strawberries as well and coincidentally, have grown the biggest strawberries I have ever grown. Not sure if it is from that or now but I mean huge, sweet, two fit in my palm strawberries.
The shells are a good resource to divert from landfill however I wonder what the pH of your soil is. If the vinegar treatments keep it blow 6.5 but above 5 then you might get better results as nutrients are more available in that pH range.
Bake eggshells in oven at 250 for 30 minutes.
After that they can easily be crushed into a fine powder.
Also this way,
Makes calcium more readily available due to being baked.
My watermelon had blossom end rot.
Applying eggshells this way fixed my problem in about 2-3 days
I have been wondering about this for a while. Thanks for the great info!
Have been using ground egg shells in my Raised bed Garden’s for years with great success. Here in the mountains in the western part of Virginia, we tend to have calcium deficient soil. So blossom end rot on tomatoes can be an issue for example. Here is my approach. I keep an old coffee can on the counter for the egg shells. I think one of the key steps is to get them to dry out quickly. To achieve that, after pouring the egg out of each half shell, I make a point to rub out the inside lining of the show with my finger into the pan or the measuring cup or wherever the eggs are going. The substance Lining the shells is largely I believe happy albumin, which I believe serves to protect the developing embryo from external pathogen’s, considering that the shell is actually porous. With that lining largely removed, the shells dry quickly. Remember they should not be nested
Hi Stephen!
My name is River Costa. Congrats for all those awesome videos. You are very detail oriented and that helps a lot!
I think some how we all have a need for NPK ORGANIC HOME MADE FERTILIZER with that in mind, as you show in this video and some others, some or most of us uses regularly Cofe, Banana and Eggs and with the scraps from these, after being someway composted, it will provides very good ingredients for the best NPK, we just need to know they amounts based on what we are planting.
My self, I am in downtown Miami Florida US. In a apt at the 30. So I only have sun in the small balcony the I need to share with my 2 roommates, some sun on the leaving room at the balcony door, and at my bedroom window. So I am planning to plant tomatoes I know I will need lots of calcium and i don't have much space for composting, so I am planning to do composting using a four 5gl buckets tower method. The tomato trees also will be planted in 5gl buckets. Do you have any idea on how should i feel those buckets for the tomatoes trees besides using composting, should i use perlite, pit moss, or anything else. Any idea would be very helpful and appreciated
Please keep up with this awesome work.
bst regards!
Your videos are so helpful.
Another wonderful show, I always look forward to Fridays, ti see what other advice or garden assumptions that you approve or disapprove. Thank you for taking the time to film and post your videos. I have also heard the use of animal blood, such as cows blood, in the compost. Sounds a little gory, but some people swear by it.
+Tiffany Nightingale I am truly happy you look forward to fridays for my episodes!~ It means a lot to me that you both enjoy and find value in them!
I have not put blood or blood products on the list but I will now :)
great vid, I compost the eggshells in compost.... also used crush eggshells in the garden to sprinkle around to discourage slugs
+Mark Thieme Thank you my friend! I have seen claims about slugs not being able to move across egg shells. Ill have to see if I can test that :)
+Alberta Urban Garden Simple Organic and Sustainable Patrick has already done that test I believe.
yes Patrick has done the test I don't remember the results but you could find his video on it
you give great detailed info on subjects you speak about!! thank you
I'm so glad I've stumbled upon your channel, it's so informative! I'll stay tuned for more diy garden tips!
I am glad you found me too! Might really love the conversations I get to have with gardeners all over the world! If you don't mind my asking how did you find me ?
I have worm bins that are turning my foodscapes into worm casting. I'm hoping to get enough for my second year gardening. Yes, I spent a lot of money buying all kinds of fertilizer for this year's garden. My soil is clay and I'm working to improve my soil. I even bought sand to mix into the soil fin hope of better drainage. As much as I enjoyed my garden It has cost me a lot of money. I'm rethinking my gardening for next year I'm also hoping to follow your suggestion.
I've been saving lots of eggs shells as I find them a great slug deterrent. I didn't think about it altering the PH though.
Laura it is unlikely they would change the ph of the soil in any meaningful way. So no worries !!
Last fall, I added eggshells to my compost
+naomi chambers that is a great way to add them to your garden !
I just added egg shells to my worm bin for the first time. I washed them first to be safe. That process did remove the inner membrane. You have a good point about competing bacteria though. There's probably nothing to worry about. Also I put them in my mini food processor so they'd break down faster. I got nice small flakes. Thanks for another good video!
I am glad you found the clip useful. While I don't have a worm bin at home I have done a bit of research. According to a few sources for worms you want to try to get a fine powder. That way they can eat it and use the grit to help mechanically break up other food.
If your blender is having a hard time it has been recommended to heat treat the shells. That makes them brittle.
Good show. I just toss all our egg shells in our compost. I don't mind if they break down slowly over the years as I have been adding them for a couple of decades. I would be interested in seeing the effectiveness of grape pomace in compost as I make a lot of wine and those skins and seeds make up a large portion of my compost. I leave the skins in sealed garbage cans until the weather turn colder, that avoids a vinegar smell and the crazy proliferation of fruit flies! I use spent brewing grains too. They were the worst smelling ingredient in my compost but then I tried mixing in coffee grounds, the smell was gone and they heat up.
+klausy1000 I bet the grape pomace would be a wonderful nitrogen source! I hope to test some brewery grains after my local brew pub gets going. I wonder where i could find pomace? I have vines but they are quite young and will take a few years before I can make wine from them.
I do the same thing with a sealed container for my apple mush from pressing cider. It stinks to high lord but stops once leaves are added.
Good video Stephen. Gary Pilarchik grinds the egg shells in a small coffee grinder before use. I've tried this and the shells grind down into really fine dust which greatly increases the surface area and allows them to decompose faster. Check out Gary's video on his channel.
That is an very effective way to increase the surface area of the eggs to speed up break down.
I'll have to go see Gary's video ! Thank you !
Love your videos! 6 years later and they are still very helpful :). Have you ever researched Korean natural farming methods of making fertilizer ? They have a method i use(not knowing if it works though) where eggshells are ground, heated and put into apple cider vinegar. The goal is to make the mineral content more available to the plant as acid and alkaline minerals react and brake down the calcium so it is better absorbed by soil and plants.
Anytime I go for a walk into the forest i fill my backpack with decaying fallen trunks. That works magic, also oakleaves and fallen pine needles.
thank you, very informative
extra "points" for the excellent sound (and video) quality :)
+K Kostas you are more than welcome and thank you for the nice comment.
I feed my red wrigglers a puréed diet of vegetable skins, avocado skins, fruit skins, squash seeds, green pepper seeds and oven heated egg shells. They live in the basement in a hot frog composter with two trays. Their environment is kind of wet and the shells provide grit to the red wigglers in their diet. I figure after that the egg shells should be bio available to the plants. The only bought item I add is dolomite to keep the ph down when little white (harmless) pot worms appear because the worms prefer a neutral to basic environment and the pot worms are an indicator of an acidic environment. But I have not checked the ph in the composter, about a year old environment, as of yet. Worms are very numerous and tend not to wander out through the little ball valve at the bottom which I leave open. So I think the space must be comfortable.
Another fine video Stephen! Happy new year! Tom AKA Tommytimbertoes
+Tommyr Happy New Year to you as well my friend! Thank you for the kind words about my video!
Hi Stephen, I used to wash the eggshells with soap until I realized it would somehow contaminate the soil with detergent residue. Nowadays, I put them in boiling water before thoroughly drying and pounding to powder using traditional mortar and pestle. Thanks for the info about biovailability, while I don''t have any soil testing done (i usually use plant store potting soil and compost before I did my own composting), I reckon it would be better to recycle the egg shells instead of throwing them and adding to the landfill.
I could not agree more. Best recycled in the garden than wasted!
Very good information on using eggshells for calcium. However, one of the biggest gardening myths is using eggshells to deter pests, not even soft bodied pests like slugs and snails get deterred, I have tried it and so am telling you with firsthand experience. After the failed experiment was done, I watched a video on gardening myths and it says that egg shell and sharp objects do not deter slugs and snails and they are right.
They are supposed to be one of the most readily available calcium for us 2 legged folks so I was told.
Cheers sir & all the best for 2016 👍
Once that calcium carbonate gets in us our stomach is much better than vinegar at breaking it out ! The paper I read for this was actually talking about human consumption of eggshells as a dietary supplement.
Thank-you , very useful infomation.
+Resistance is fertile I am glad I could help!
I just rinse in water (by rinse I mean, I manually clean the white out with my fingers under running water) and dry them right in the mortar and pestle I later grind them in. Then they go in my worm bin.
That is a great use for them too ! It helps worms digest their food!!
Another great video. Happy new year. :-)
+TruthCeeker333 Thank you my friend and Happy New Year to you as well!
Hi Stephen, this is the first of your videos I've seen. Excellent, immediate sub! So now I'll pester you... I live in Brittany, France, and one local resource is clam and mussel shells, of which there are hundreds of tons per year. Some bright spark recently had the idea that instead of sending to dumps he'd collect them, crush them and sell them as a natural calcium additive in agriculture. Good idea, no? They're harder to break than eggshells but 1 clamshell the size of a small hand is probably equal to 20 or more eggshells, so a bit of slogging with a heavy hammer might be worth it. Also I've built a couple of raised beds from local rocks and traditional lime mortar (builder's lime, sand and water). Some plants seem to want to grow as near to the wall as possible. I guess there's a calcium compound very slowly leeching from the mortar that's reducing local acidity and they like it.
Good morning Ray! Welcome to the community and feel free to pester away!
My wife and I have a long standing wish to go to France. One day!
Oyster shells are made from the same components as eggshells. If they are pulverized they will add calcium to the soil however they will also raise the pH. So if you have quite acidic soil it might help with that.
The plants growing close to the wall may be due to the wall and its materials but could also be thermal retention. I was just reading about french wall gardens and the concept is that the heat protects the plants and allows them to grow much better even as night time temperatures near freezing.
***** Thanks! I hadn't thought about heat. Stone walls have a very high thermal mass and store heat well overnight, so that may be it.
it certainly could be !
+Alberta Urban Garden Simple Organic and Sustainable PS, if you do visit France don't miss Brittany, it's the best bit! The local organic, or nearly organic traditional products include goat's cheese smothered in wild garlic and other aromatic "weeds", rare-breed cow's milk, cream and cheese, honey, cider, rabbit, pate, eggs, sardines, seafood... People here are hot on buying local seasonal stuff. Bravo!
We plan on going for a month and spending as much time as we like at the various locations around the country. I really want to take in the culture and lifestyle such as the buy local and such. sounds superb!
Stephen, I have one suggestion for you. I would love to know about your appreciation and investigation about fertilizing with bone ashes (like in the minecraft game) Bone ashes are supposed to have pure Calcium fosphate. They are free and very easy to produce. (I made a video about how to make them, in spanish of course)
That is a great idea my friend ! I will certainly add it to the list nearer to the top :)
I have been watching your clips ad I c an pick out usually what you are doing as I believe some words are similar to French :)
Thanks a lot for all the useful information, I also usually put crushed egg shells into the oven after I bake the bread this way they are much more easier to crush further do you think this might also reduce possibility of pathogens ? Also I use fine grind egg shells in wormery and compost although I'm not sure how much is enough to provide meaningful amount of calcium for now I keep adding them whenever I add coffee grounds.
Yup treating them in the oven does help remove any chance of pathogens.
A fine powder of eggshell helps worms digest their food ! Likely through the same process it helps decompose the shells too.
Great Info, Stephen! I use the eggshells when available, but I don't use enough eggs for it to be lucrative in my case, lol! I do use gypsum as a substitute, even though it's not a free resource : )
Are your soils too acidic or lack calcium ? I don't know much about the south and how the weather plays with the soils but I might have some ideas of how to do it for free to save you a few pennies possibly!
***** Yeah, typically Georgia red clay is acidic by nature, that's one reason I use raised beds, and create my own soils! We also have acidic rainwater to boot, but all in all, It does pretty well! I welcome any suggestions ; )
So you have an acidic issue. How close are you to the ocean ?
About 200 or so miles.
never mind. I was doing some research often clam producers will grind their shells to dispose of them. Those shells are often used to battle acidity in the soil! Usually you can get them free or very cheap.
Another great video. I never use fossil fuels to sterilize egg shells. I simply add to my hot compost. I have a 3meter×3×1 compost bin. Witch let's me add all waste food except fat without any smell
+phxtonash I try to reduce the amount of energy I use as well for my garden. Usually in a hot compost it is more than easy to get it going and have no smell come off!
I microwave my egg shells for about a minute and it cooks and dries them out pretty well, then I feed them to my worms. Works for me.
+Jim S worms get a lot of benefit from them as well. they use them in their gut to mechanically break down other foods! leaving behind the shell and rich castings!
love to know a bit on what keeps best, how to store my harvest, what can be frozen in your freezer etc
Take a look at this clip it should get you going.
ua-cam.com/video/vqvWCkq8WjU/v-deo.html
Rabbit manure is a winner. It's not as concentrated as chicken so you don't run the risk of burning your plants. Rabbits also are factories of manure. If you can find a local farmer who will allow you to collect rabbit droppings you are home free.
+naturebc I have some and hope to run it for analysis asap. I am interested to see what is in there!
+naturebc i only use wood shavings in my bunny cage. i find that the soggy wood shavings+ the bunny poop, and urine, make an excellent addition to my compost.
I only save the eggshells from hard-boiled eggs. In the winter I put the eggshells in an aluminum pie plate, and set the pie plate on my heating register to dry quickly. In the warmer months I put the same pie plates out in direct sunlight to dry them out. When I get a goodly amount of the eggshells accumulated I turn them to powder in my coffee grinder. What do you think about doing the same thing with orange peels, and do you think my plants would benefit from the powdered orange peel? Thanks in advance. Oh btw, I also do the same thing with my banana peels.
Thanks! Gonna add your video to my blog post! :)
Thkuuu sir sorry about my English
Some they r saying egg shells sharp edge it will cut of the roots and the other thing it will more time degrade so I think better to make a solution with egg and lemon juice. Lemon juice should cover eggs completely close it keep it for 15 to 20 days then mix well it should be in plastic Bottle or earthen bottle. Then mix it well then add jaggery melted one then mix it keep it for 10days mix well. Then u can use
6 eggs should not break the egg with lemon juice should covered these eggs after 10 to 15days mix it add jaggery 150mg keep it 10 days then u can use
150ml of this solution with 5 litre water spray to the leaf. By the time egg shells will be degraded
very useful
I know there are lots of amateur wine makers in Alberta as my organization The Amateur Winemakers of Ontario competes against them in the Canadian finals every year. I bet there are lots of guys just throwing out their pomace. I put your cider making video in my watch later list just last night!
+klausy1000 Oh I think you are going to like the cider mill video it is one of my preferred videos this year!~
Ill take a look. I am a brewer as well but prefer to grow and brew my own :)
Agreed. Though, I process my eggshells through compost heap!
The compost does all the hard work :)
I just toss the egg shells into the garden after breakfast, a few weeks later lightly step on them to crush them. Then the next planting season when I hoe the soil to knock down the weeds they get turned in.
I grind my heat treated egg shells with a coffee bean grinder. I in turn feed the powdered shells to my worm farm and they ptovide me with castings I can use in my garden.
That is a useful method in two ways ! First the worms get to use it to help break down their food and then it gets applied to your garden for the plants !
I'm a bit OCD about the shells, so I microwave them for 2 minutes on high. As a bonus, they become more brittle and easier to pulverize in hand. I have no clue why I'm a germophobe with eggshells, when I have no issues processing fresh fish lol.
+Poppy B. We all have our own things. Don't you worry I hate touching some things and don't mind taking a carrot from the garden and skipping the 10 steps to the hose to clean it before eating!
Microwaving is a good method and if you feel more comfortable then by all means go ahead!
+Poppy B. I use a coffee grinder to break them up real small... very hands off.
Thanks for the nice video, Stubbs. I do use eggshells in my garden, but I had never even considered the possibility of propagating dangerous bacteria on them. But I think there is slim chance of doing that. I never have very many eggshells at one time, so I usually rinse them as I'm emptying them of their contents. Then I let them dry for a few days on a windowsill, or in summer, I put them outdoors to dry in the sun. I have a crude mortar and pestle that I use to pulverize the dried eggshells. The resulting product is then sprinkled directly onto my garden beds or onto the compost heap.
By the way, I have a separate compost heap that I started to break down dog and cat poo from these animals when they come through my back yard. I have been reluctant to actually use this compost in my garden, however. What are your thoughts on composted dog and cat manure?
Have a happy and bountiful new year, Stubbs.
+Ottee2 Thank you my friend for watching and subscribing. It sounds like you have a great method to add eggshells to your garden.
Cat and dog fecies much like humans have an opportunity to pass on pathogens. If you compost it in a hot compost it should be clear of pathogens. That said I don't find I need the source so I compost mine for use around ornamental trees and plants that don't produce food. It makes it a bit safer and you still get to use the waste diverting it from landfill.
*****: Yes, good points. I do have trouble getting my composts to heat up. So it's probably safer to spread it around non food producing plants. Thanks.
That would be my suggestion. Often what my grandfather would do near a tree is dig a 6 inch or 15cm by 6 inch hole a foot or two deep and burry it raw in there. The worms will compost it and the tree will benefit with out having to worry about any disease or smell.
***** That would work. Or this compost heap is kinda wedged between a juniper hedge and a spruce tree. I could just let it lie there for them to use.
That would work my friend !
I am new to your site. I am interested in finding out if or how to incorporate rotten or spooled grains, and even screenings into compost or deep in raised beds?
great content. thanks for sharing
I am glad you enjoyed the video!
Rolaids ingredients, the active ingredients are calcium carbonate (550 mg) and magnesium hydroxide (110 mg). Question how will this work for Tomato plants? I bake my egg shells in the oven at 275 degrees Fahrenheit one hour
chickens love eggshells, back at my uncle's, I've seen the chickens fighting over them lol
Hi and thanks for another great video! I rinse my eggshells then store them in a freezer bag until I have enough of them to use. Would the freezer kill pathogens in the same way that heat would? Thank you.
love your videos
Thank you David ! I appreciate you taking the time to comment such a nice thing ! You made my evening my friend !
My and family and I recently got a couple of bunnies. I am in the process of collecting their castings to use as a nitrogen source for my garden. My concern is the tray that is under their cage collects their castings as they drop, but it also collects the bunnies urine. Of course both the castings and urine mix in the tray. What I have been doing is rinsing the casting to try to wash off the urine. I may be wrong, but the urine might burn some plants or might have too much salt in it. Please tell me if my concerns are reasonable or not. I have heard that worms won't break down the rabbit castings if they are too high in salts. I don't really have any worm bend to break down the castings. I was planning on just spreading them on the surface of my beds and let mother nature break it down over the winter.
I don't think you have to wash the pellets before applying to the mulch layer. Especially if they are thinly added.
Urine has a fertilizer potential and can add benefit. I would just stay away from areas with new seedlings unless the pellets have some time to rest. If nothing else add them to a compost and the compost will be richer for it.
Here is a clip I did on human urine. ua-cam.com/video/_9WoW8Rtp2E/v-deo.html
I dump each of my planting containers into a wheelbarrow in the early spring, and add some amendments to the spent soil. Once I add my spring amendments I cover my pots so that everything does not leach out of the pot before I plant in them. However, do you think I should add my ground eggshells in the fall so it can do some "composting" in the pot/bucket over winter?
grinding them up will speed up the process of decomposition once it is added to the compost but is not really a necessity.
I have chickens and I wash out all of the shells under running water, let them air dry, and grind them using a coffee grinder. I have been saving all of the shell powder but I'm not sure if directly distributing on the garden would be best or putting it in my compost?
The most effective way to jump start the decomposition of the egg shells would be to add them to the compost at the very beginning and let it go through ye process.
If you like a simpler method of your in no rush is just adding the egg shells to the mulch layer :) it's slower but as I said in the clip if you have time it is easier.
Great info. I like to use egg shells in my worm bins.
+High Desert Garden (Phillip) They are great for their grit too!
Yep, I also use them to help balance PH
have you tested its effectiveness at balancing pH?
I like to use peat moss in my worm bins, I find that it gives me the best castings and the worms seem to live it; however, since the peat moss is acidic, I add the calcium to help with counteract the acidity. Egg shells seem to do that very well. I saw an episode where JT bear brought the PH in his sump tank from about 5.5 to 6.5 by simply adding egg shells to the water.
that is great to know. I read during the prep for this video that there was negligible effects on pH however I found the study was rather poorly written and missed some important factors!
Nice garden
Have you noticed any increase in wild bird life IN and around your garden. Their droppings are very good for your garden and if you can add a bird feeder close to or even over your compost so that their droppings can be added to that as well.
I have had an increased number of birds. In fact in 2013 we had a hawk use the garden as it's eating area.
Great info. I was wondering how important it was to wash your egg shells first.
Well with CaCO3 (egg shell) + CH3COOH (White Vinegar) = Ca(CH3COO)2 + H2O + CO2. So yeah it check outs, water the byproduct and carbon dioxide with Calcium acetate "Ca(CH3COO)2" Cal-acetate is found in a lot of those tomatoes-pepper specialized liquid fertilizers :)
I had not thought to look at liquid fertilizers and absorption rates of the organic calcium. you may be onto something ;) Thanks!
I only use the eggs shells from hard-boiled eggs, and turn them to powder in my coffee grinder. Seems they would be much safer as well as being more readily available ....... what do you think?
Safer likely and much more available. The smaller the shards the faster the calcium can decay out and be plant ready.
Thank you Stephen for all the gardening information. Will using turf or peat ash in your garden turn the soil ascidic.
Hi Steve, will baking eggshells before using them to germinate and crushing to add to soil help kill the dangerous bacteria? Thank you so much. Happy Weekend! 🌱 🌻
Baking them will certainly kill any bacteria on them. You only need to hit 150f got a few minutes.
+Alberta Urban Garden Simple Organic and Sustainable Thank you so much! 🐔 🌱
Did you get a video up on used brewery grain. I have several micro breweries near me, as it's a popular trend now.
I have been using them but have not done a stand alone resource video yet. might be worth it!
here is a link to the video where I show using them.
ua-cam.com/play/PL5mfR-r4BXH2W285QZm4mdsdKo6l98zRK.html
how about looking at pet wastes? we are often told of the danger of cat and dog waste. perhaps this is too diet dependent? I'd like your thoughts if you find the time. many gardeners are also pet owners and have a basically unlimited supply of this "resource" lol
+hdjc86 I will put that on my list to analyze... right now I have an abundant resource due to the snow melting ;)
Can I use butter milk( made of curd and water it is made by adding lot of water in curd like semi thick like low fat milk) we drink it in lunch and dinner can I use butter milk instead of egg shell..is it work...or it may hazard to my chilli and lemon plant...???
Vinegar added should create calcium acetate which is very water soluble and I’ve read it’s plant available. Is what I’ve read wrong?
What about using milk as a source of available calcium? Is that calcium available for use or is it like the eggshells? I heard old gardening advice to put some milks and eggshells in the bottom of the tomato transplant hole to provide a good source of calcium. Thoughts? A research topic for next year?
+Jon Jensen I have not taken a look at milk however adding things like milk and eggshells to the planting hole is not going to provide much benefit as the milk will wash away before the plant can use it and Eggshells require time to break down likely longer than the plant will be there.
I will take a look at milk in the garden it is a good one ! Thank you
Great topic! I like your method with egg shells. Would you say it's safe to add them, also aged, in layers of the trench lasagna method?
+Golighty678 Not sure what Stephen does, but I do all the time! I scatter loads of them in the regular composter as well. I often find worms around the areas with eggshells in my composters.
I'd tend to think if you burnt egg shells in a fire and then scattered the ashes into a compost heap you'd provide lots of immediately available elements.
+Golighty678 They don't take Nitrogen to decompose so yes they are safe to be used in the root layer such as a lasagna method.
+Number Eight if you burn them the only thing you would be left with is the calcium and a the trace elements. The carbonate would escape as CO2.
it might be a method to get fast decomposition.
I add all of my eggshells to the garden either through compost or otherwise. Really interesting video. I used to do homebrew to 5+ years and used my spent grains in compost with mixed results.
What were some of the issues you faced with spent grains ? I am interested to know :)
I was having issues with the grains drying out. I made quite a lot of beer, not just for myself so I was adding pretty decent quantities of the spent mash. Looking back, I think much of my problem was not enough greens mixed in to keep things moist and composting nicely. Good luck!
+MrChipGardener My beer brewing has dropped as I funded a local brewery and I get beer for life with it ;) it is not such a bad deal !!
I however do want to try brewing from grain as I have my great great grandfathers recipe and it sounds like fun!
#jealous lol
it was a rare opportunity. that said there are restrictions on how much a year can be taken :) as long as they stay open a year or two I will have made my investment back!
Btw what variety grape vine are you growing on your back wall behind your compost heap?
Could I use egg shelves for moulch? Or would they fly away?
I think the colour would look much nicer than the ordinary dark moulch.
You certainly can use them and I do often. Most of the time they stay fairly well but birds will some times take a few.
Thank you. I find the moulch too dark and boring :-)
What do u think about putting Ash from your fire pit into your compost?
Hey man, love your channel! I was wondering about the benefits of Alfalfa meal and Molasses (unsulphured) in my garden.
I have read that since alfalfas roots grow much deeper in the earth that it is able to collect more nutrients.
I have also read that Unsulphured molasses increases microbe numbers due to the sugar.
I have heard some growers adding both of these together in a Tea. I just want to know, does it really work?
Thank you for your time and keep making great videos :)
Thank you for the kind words !
I have molasses on my list and have some testing done already. I will try to get to this one sooner.
Alfalfa meal I'll put on my list ! Thank you!
Could i use to egg shelves method for a house plant like a palm tree?
you could but it likely would not decay fast enough indoors.
you can used lots of small fish eg,capelin and cod fish allfal all so theres lots of seaweed this seems to work relly good dg,
Hi Stephen,
I don't have a compost bin, but would like to save my egg shells and coffee grounds for my garden. How long would you suggest that I keep them dry indoors before distribute them to my container garden and raised bed?
I usually toss them right out there. No need to wait ! I just store my shells over the winter to sprinkle over the garden when it's growing !
+Alberta Urban Garden Simple Organic and Sustainable Thanks for your quick reply!
composting Alfalfa....Alfalfa hay.....and or Alfalfa pellets.????
That is on my list to investigate :)
What is the best way to make fertilizer or compost for acid loving plants such as blueberries?
Unfortunately making it is hard but you can mulch with peat moss or elemental sulfur to keep the pH lower.
sounds daft but would a small amount of cola or acidic beverage similar release the calcium and be safe to use diluted with water
I don't think coke is strong like vinegar but might work. I'd just be hesitant due to the sugar. Might attract pests if used in the garden.
Can you explain how to lower pH in my garden
hay as mulch and fertilizer
+aacsteveo That is a great suggestion! Thank you!
i pulverize eggshells in a blender and feed them to my red wiggler compost worms
+the3d3mocrat That is a great method as it not only helps the worms process their food but adds the shells to rich castings!
+Alberta Urban Garden Simple Organic and Sustainable yes, and aparently helps keep their wormbin on the right ph for them, but i cant confirm that, just something i heard somewere.
that is quite interesting!
👍
Put them in the blender after they are dry out