A gardening expert has shared a clever way to use eggshells to boost the growth of your plants and flowers.
Laura, the founder of the Young Growers Club – which encourages children to grow their own food – took to TikTok to share this lesser-known technique.
“This eggshell fertiliser is so easy, and cheap to make,” she wrote in a caption accompanying her video. “You basically need to cook the eggshells to remove any water and contaminants, crush them, put them in a jar with organic apple cider vinegar and then let the magic happen.”
At the beginning of her clip, Laura showcased the finished product, saying: “I’ll use this during the growing season to fertilise my plants – during the growing season it’ll provide calcium.”
She then demonstrated the process using a dozen eggs, baking them in the oven for 15 minutes at 160C. Laura advised to keep an eye on the oven to prevent them from burning, and once ready they should be carefully removed from the oven and broken up. She suggests wrapping them in a tea towel and gently hitting them with a rolling pin.
Next, Laura adds the pieces of eggshells to a small jar, ensuring it’s around 10% full. After adding the apple cider vinegar, Laura warns that it’s crucial to leave a gap at the top of the jar, otherwise you’ll end up with a foamy mess.
Instead, once the process is complete, you should be left with a small amount of foam residue. She explains: “The chemical reaction that occurs looks awesome but also makes the calcium available to plants in a water-soluble form. This can be used to feed the soil for tomatoes and peppers.”
Laura concluded her tip by advising that before use, the jar should be gently sealed and left in dark surroundings for a few weeks. “Once ready, dilute and use over the growing season,” she closes. “Note: it’s strong so it will need to be diluted to a ratio of one tablespoon to 10 litres of water.”
One of Laura’s followers asked for further advice: “Why do you bake them?” Laura explained: “Gets rid of any contaminants. You could just wash them and crush them. But Nigel Palmer (who I learned this from) always bakes them.”
“I have never seen this method before, how fascinating!” exclaimed another. “Now I want to try this myself.” Laura responded enthusiastically: “Definitely worth it. You can use it on your tomatoes and peppers in the summer.”
As we are approaching growing season in the UK, it could be wise to give this tip a go. Who knows, it could help your flowers and produce be even more fantastic than usual.