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How to start a herb garden from Eggshells

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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.

indoor herb garden

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!
herbs in eggshells

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. 

grow your herbs in eggshells

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

herbal garden

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.

poke a hole on the bottom of the eggshell

Fourth step:

Use a spoon to fill each eggshell with soil just 1 cm below the top

filling eggshells with soil

Fifth step:

Sow few seeds (4-5) to each eggshell to ensure germination

Sixth step:

Using permanent marker write the name of the herb you planted in.

using marker to write the names of herbs on the eggshells

Seventh step:

Water with spray and place them in a warm place. Once you see the seeds germinate move them to a sunny spot. 

Eighth step:

Water them every day with a spray bottle.

Make indoor herb garden

Ninth step:

When sprouts appear,  wait till they are strong enough to be planted in the garden or a bigger pot. Then gently crack and peel away the bottom of the eggshell to allow the roots to easily grow out of the shell and spread out.

Reuse Easter eggs to make your herbal garden
How often should I water herb seedlings?

I suggest to use a small spray bottle and use it 2 times a day. It is important to keep the soil moist but not soggy Test the soil with your fingers and see if it’s moistured. 

How many seeds should I plant per eggshell?

There is a rule to plant 2-3 seeds per hole/eggshell. As I like to break the rules I usually put 5-6 and sometimes thin them out if needed.


Reuse Easter eggs to make your herbal garden
Print Recipe
5 from 5 votes

How to start herb garden from 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.
Cook Time10 minutes
Additional Time7 days
Total Time7 days 10 minutes
Keyword: eggshells, herb garden
Servings: 12 herb seedlings
Author: Vladka Merva
Cost: $5

Equipment

  • egg cartoon for 12 eggs

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Use a sharp knife to carefully remove the upper part of the eggshell leaving the bottom intact.
  • Wash them thoroughly to prevent rot, mould development of bad smell later
  • Using small needle prick a small hole in the base of each eggshell.
  • Use a spoon to fill each eggshell with soil just 1 cm below the top
  • Sow few seeds (4-5) to each eggshell to ensure germination
  • Using permanent marker write the name of the herb you sow in.
  • Water with spray and place them in a warm place. Once you see the seeds germinate move them to a sunny spot. 
  • Water them every day with a spray.
  • When sprouts appear,  wait till they are strong enough to be planted in the garden or bigger pot. Then gently crack and peel away the bottom of the eggshell to allow the roots to easily grow out of the shell and spread out.

Video

Notes

You can use the clear plastic cartoon to make a mini-greenhouse and faster the growth of your herbs 
Vladka on February 16th, 2020

5 Comments on “How to start a herb garden from Eggshells”

  1. This is brilliant! I have a bazillion eggshells (I have teens who do nothing but eat) and would love to reuse some for this. They all go into the compost but why not have them make a stop-over as a seed starting cup first? So fun!

    Reply
  2. This is awesome! I have just started getting into gardening and have been wanting to start a herb garden of my own. This is a great way to start the seeds! Thank you for this post!

    Reply
  3. Wow!! I love this idea… I’d seen it before but had no idea how truly easy and beneficial it is! Thank you so much for this – and for the info about specific herbs!
    I’m on my 3rd rosemary plant, and this one seems like it’s dying too. But I think I can handle the rest of the herbs! Haha
    Thank you for this awesome post!!

    Reply
5 from 5 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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