The Secret to Bigger Yields & Preventing Disease: How to Use Eggshells on Tomato Plants
The next time you crack an egg in the kitchen, save the shell. Eggshells contain important nutrients that can enrich your compost pile or feed plants, including tomatoes. Using eggshells on tomatoes benefits plants in several ways, from improving overall health to repelling pests and preventing disease.
How Can Eggshells Benefit Your Tomato Plants?
Eggshells are a natural and organic way to provide calcium and other essential nutrients to your tomato plants. Here are a few of the benefits you can get from eggshells, depending on how you use them for your tomato plants:
Add Calcium and Other Nutrients
Eggshells are made from a natural, organic material that is particularly rich in calcium. When ground down and added to the soil, eggshells add these nutrients that your tomato plants take up through their roots.
Prevent Blossom End Rot
Increasing calcium for tomato plants will help prevent blossom end rot. This destructive disease causes the fruits to rot from the blossom end (the opposite end from the stem). It is caused by calcium deficiency.
Improve Soil Structure
Adding broken eggshells to the soil improves its structure by loosening it naturally. This allows more oxygen and water to flow through, helping to create the best soil for tomatoes.
Repel Slugs
Broken eggshells in the soil can also deter slugs. The sharp edges and drying effects of the shells keep them out of the soil around tomato plants.
Are Eggshells Enough to Feed Tomatoes?
While eggshells can be a useful natural fertilizer and preventative measure against blossom end rot, they don’t provide enough nutrients to be your only fertilizer. Tomatoes are heavy feeders and need a lot of nutrients throughout the growing season. Use eggshells as a supplement to compost or an appropriate store-bought fertilizer.
How to Prepare Eggshells for Tomato Plants
The first step in using eggshells to feed plants is to wash and dry them. This isn’t strictly necessary, but it will make your job of creating eggshell fertilizer easier and cleaner. You’ll probably want to save up your eggshells as you use them. If you don’t wash them, the egg residue can rot and get stinky. Clean, dry eggshells are also easier to pulverize, which is the next step.
Wash and Dry Eggshells
Wash the eggshells in cold water to remove any remaining egg residue. Let them dry completely, either air-drying them or placing them in a low-temperature oven (150°F – 200°F) for a few hours.
Pulverize Eggshells
Use a blender or food processor to pulverize the eggshells into a powder. This will make it easier to incorporate the eggshells into the soil.
Mix with Compost or Soil
Add the eggshell powder to the planting holes if you’re using transplants or mix some into the compost or fill-in soil. If your tomatoes are already in the ground, sprinkle eggshell powder on the soil at the base of the plants. Work it into the soil a little with a trowel or your hands and water thoroughly.
Avoid These Eggshell Fertilizer Mistakes
To be a useful fertilizer, the eggshells really need to be pulverized. If you don’t pulverize them enough, they can still provide some benefits, but they won’t be as effective. Here are a few mistakes to avoid when using eggshells as a fertilizer:
Don’t Use Raw Eggshells
Raw eggshells can harbor bacteria that can harm your plants. Make sure to wash and dry them before using them as a fertilizer.
Don’t Overdo It
While eggshells can provide some benefits, overusing them can cause an imbalance in the soil. Start with a small amount and gradually increase as needed.
Don’t Mix with Acidic Soils
If your soil is acidic, the alkalinity of eggshells can reduce the soil pH to some extent. This can be beneficial in some cases, but it’s essential to check the pH of your soil before using eggshells as a fertilizer.
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By following these steps and avoiding common mistakes, you can use eggshells as a natural and effective fertilizer for your tomato plants. Happy gardening!
Additional Resources:
- Rapidtest Soil Test Kit from Amazon
- How to Grow Delicious Tomatoes e-book
- Gardening Know How newsletter
Conclusion:
Using eggshells on tomato plants is a simple and effective way to provide essential nutrients and prevent disease. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can harness the power of eggshells to grow bigger, healthier tomatoes.
