There are many reasons why to Grow your herbs in eggshells.
Use biodegradable eggshells to create your herb garden and jump-start the season with germinated seedlings before transferring them to bigger pots or your garden.
A few leaves of basil for the tomato soup, a couple of sprigs of coriander for guacamole and some rosemary and mint to make these refreshing infused waters. If you are like me herbs must be in your household.
You can always buy a few springs of parsley or basil in the shop but these tend to last a very short period of time and I need them all the time. So the only solution is to have your own herbs, your own herb garden. If you plan big this is a quick start guide to growing food.
Planting herbs indoors is a great way to jump-start the season. You can use paper towel holders, seed trays or peat pots. But the easiest way is to start it in eggshells.
There are plenty of Easter activities for adults to enjoy, but this one is my favorite.
Why grow herbs from eggshells?
It is not only their shape and pure natural background that make eggshells the ideal place to grow the seedlings. They have much more to offer.
- Natural fertilizers, eggshells are a great source of Calcium that seeps into the soil as you water it. Calcium is important for plant growth and its nutrition as well as for the soil. It helps to maintain chemical balance in the soil and improves water penetration. Egg shells are excellent for composting.
- Crushed eggshells serve as pest control. Slugs, cutworms or other insects are put off by the crashed pieces of eggshells and rather leave.
- Since the shells are biodegradable they make the further planting in a pot or in the garden very easy. You don’t have to remove them from the shell just plant them in the garden with the eggshell.
- Zero waste and environmental friendly. – The entire shell will slowly degrade leaving the soil full of nutrients.
- Great way to reuse Easter eggs!
Things you need before you start planting your herb garden
Select the eggshells
Spend some time searching for large eggshells as they will make your life much easier. I discovered that eggshells are not only different sizes marked S, M,L, or XL but here in Europe they add details in grams. So I ended up with 70 g + size – the biggest I found. Alternatively use duck eggs instead.
Choose your herbs
If you are at the beginning of your herbal journey start with herbs that grow prolifically and are fine with frequent harvesting, like mint, basil or parsley.
Here are some examples of easy to grow herbs indoors.
Basil
Basil is easy to grow from seeds and it loves a sunny window shelf. It likes rich soil that is well-watered. You may also consider other varieties of basil such as thai or holy basil.
Mint
Fast and easy to grow mint is also best when kept in a sunny location as long as the soil is kept moist. It needs to be moved to its own pot or garden pretty soon as it is quite an invasive plant that sends out runners.
Parsley
We prefer to grow the more flavoury flat-leaved parsley that grows in partial shade. It can grow pretty fast in well-drained soil that is often moistured.
Thyme
Thyme is a heavily scented herb with many uses in the kitchen that is happy in full sunlight and dry soil.
Rosemary
This highly aromatic herb is green even in the winter, I use it all year long. It likes cold climates as long as the temperature doesn’t reach below zero. The resinous leaves like plenty of sun and moist soil
Oregano
Easy to grow oregano requires lots of sun and drainage. Its small and flavorful leaves are just a perfect addition to any Italian meal.
Get the right soil
In specialized garden centres, they typically sell soil specifically for growing herbs. It is a little bit different from typical garden soil as it is lighter and drains water well whereas the garden soil is dense and tends to block moisture.
How to grow your indoor herb garden from eggshells?
First step:
Use a sharp knife to carefully remove the upper part (⅓ of the pointed end) of the eggshell leaving the bottom ⅔ intact.
Second step:
Wash them thoroughly to prevent rot, mould and development of bad smell later
Third step:
Using a small needle or manicure scissors prick a small hole in the base of each eggshell. This is the best when they are still wet to avoid developing any cracks.
Fourth step:
Use a spoon to fill each eggshell with soil just 1 cm below the top