Save those eggshells

Most of us have eggs in the fridge, but have you ever wondered if the shells have a usefulness beyond holding your breakfast?

Eggshells are full of calcium and they can be used in a number of ways.  But first you need to prepare them.  I keep a little bowl that I throw my eggshells in every time I crack one open.  When I get a couple (or more), I just pop them in the microwave for 1 minute.  You can also bake them in the oven if you prefer.  The idea is to dry them out without browning them.  Once cooked, I crush them up as fine as I can get them.  There are so many ways you can do this.  Depending on what I'm using them for, I just crush them in my hand.  They can easily be smashed between 2 plates, or if you have a mortar and pestle, this would work as well.  

Now you have your crushed eggshells ready.  If you already have chickens, you can add a handful of crushed shells to their feed.  Don't worry about the amount since they will just eat what they need.  Chickens need the calcium in order to make a hard shell.  You can tell that they are in need of calcium if the shells crack or crush way too easily.  

Shells are also great in your garden.  You can sprinkle them around your plants to deter any slugs or cutworms from killing your plants.  Tomato and pepper plants will especially benefit from the calcium in the shells.  Just add a small amount to the hole when you plant your tomatoes.  You can also use the shells for plant starters.  Prop the shells up in an egg carton.  Fill them with dirt and a seed or two.  When the plants are big enough to be transplanted, you can put the whole thing in the ground. 

Recycled gardening boxes

When I first built my garden, I did so out of necessity and I used what was available to me.  Our soil is mostly sand and riddled with vines.  So I built up the garden with various boxes.  My first couple of sections consisted of enormous pieces of drift wood.  They aren't even nailed together, just laid close enough to fill with compost and soil.  It worked great.  Then one day a neighbor was throwing out a door frame.  They just put in a beautiful door and fortune came my way.  I hate to see things being thrown out.  Of course I'm not picking through everyone's garbage, but if I get a lightbulb over my head, I'm gonna grab it.  The door frame works fabulous as a garden.  Then another neighbor gave me this fabulous pre-made gardening box.  I'm telling you, when I got that, I felt so fancy.  Then another neighbor... Yeah, and so on and so on.

I love my little garden with it's quirky boxes and pathways going through it.  Then this summer hit.  It's been raining almost everyday since May.  And then came Hurricane Isaac.  Not only are my garden pathways filled with weeds, but they are now under water.  It's been a few days since Isaac left and still, I've got a pond out there.  The good thing is the gardening boxes I mentioned.  Everything in them is safe and growing happily.  It's just a matter of getting to them now.