Loyal CvilleBuzz reader, Chuck Strauss, read my piece on Tomato Blossom End Rot last week and offered this advice.
“Although I no longer have a veggie garden, I found that putting eggshells into the ground where and when we planted tomatoes helped prevent the rot—because the commercial stuff I had gotten did not work. I had started collecting the shells and kept them in plastic freezer bags—then kinda’ crushed them up as we planted the vines. Somebody told me you could put Tums in the ground—but eggshells are free! Chuck Strauss
I have read about this in gardening books and am going to give it a try. We are now saving every eggshell. Here’s why.
“Though nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are most vital for healthy growth, calcium is also essential for building healthy “bones”—the cell walls of a plant. Composed of calcium carbonate, eggshells are an excellent way to introduce this mineral into the soil. To prep the eggshells, grind with a mixer, grinder, or mortar and pestle and till them into the soil. Because it takes several months for eggshells to break down and be absorbed by a plant’s roots, it is recommended that they be tilled into the soil in fall. More shells can be mixed into your soil in the spring.
By the same token, finely crushed shells mixed with other organic matter at the bottom of a hole will help newly planted plants thrive. (Tomatoes especially love calcium.) For an exciting, recycled garden cocktail, try mixing your eggshells with coffee grounds, which are rich in nitrogen.
Finally, eggshells will reduce the acidity of your soil and help to aerate it.”