A little bit about Eggshells Am I going to try to persuade you to process your eggshells for use in the garden? No i'm not. I would agree it's a bridge too far for most of us, but if you did then 10 Eco points to you and well done for putting rubbish to good use.
I did make note on P1 that putting them in compost doesn't work as they come out pretty much as they went in. There is a good reason for this and that they are made from: 95% calcium carbonate! Along with: 0.3% phosphorus 0.3% magnesium Traces of sodium, potassium, zinc, manganese, iron, and copper.
CC is basically limestone so its unsurprising chips of that don't break down. It's also very alkali so if you have plants which like that, or acidic soil which needs neutralising then it's good stuff. So how to get it into the ground?
Well if you want to dry them further and stop the risk of salmonella then collect as many as poss and cook them in the oven. I wouldn't really recommend putting them in on their own, put them in when you're cooking something else so you don't waste gas/electric. Maybe with a roast chicken, that would be ironic wouldn't it.
After that you need to process them into something resembling fine sand and dust. Do this either with a pestle and mortar, rolling pin, food blender or coffee grinder etc.
Then you have what is basically lime with a few other useful bits in there. So either add it to your soil or your compost.
As said it's a lot of faff for so little, but I thought you might find it interesting at least!
It's probably not you doing anything wrong @Uff. You can only work with the material you have available to compost and you have to rely on the composting organisms finding their own way into your heap and doing their stuff. You've obviously tried your best to insulate it but maybe the winter isn't the best time to judge success. Mine is pretty cool and fairly inactive at the moment.
Mine's pretty cool at this time of year (10-15 degrees C or so, so a little above daytime ambient). I added some stuff at the weekend (veg peelings plus old dead herbaceous stuff and some weeds) and mixed it into the top part, and it's heaving with worms so something's going on, just not rapid hot decomposition. It's all good.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I think a few of us have been processing the eggshells for years @MikeOxgreen. I don't know about others but I rinse mine before "cooking" and then break/grind them. I don't put them in the compost heap but either mix with potting soil or use then to top off cacti and similar. A bit pf a faff as you say but worth it IMO.
I use ground up baked eggshells to put around various things like lilies and delphiniums. Last year I forgot to do it and I lost the delphiniums altogether.
In winter I throw all the veg peelings in the heap and it becomes a sort of worm bin. The worms are working away all winter. In Spring when I get the first cut of grass, I mix it all up again and then it heats up. The worms retreat until it cools down again.
Thanks JennyJ, it helps to know that too. I add to one of mine when the bin under the sink is full of paper, veg peelings, cardboard etc., usually once a week. I've also got a heap of beech chips now from when the beech trees were taken down before Christmas. I can add some to the heaps or spread them on paths in the wildlife area.
@Uff if you leave the wood chips in a big heap and kept well watered (clearly not a problem at the mo) it will break down in lovely stuff for mulching with next autumn. Sad as I am I swap my old path material every 2 years and it's amazing stuff to mulch the flower beds.
Thanks @Wilderbeast. That's good news. I have to rake it all to the bottom of the bank because the area will be covered in snowdrops in a week or two. They'll come through the thin layer of bark but not the thick. Would it help the rotting down process if I put a tarp over the chips and anchor it down?
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Am I going to try to persuade you to process your eggshells for use in the garden? No i'm not. I would agree it's a bridge too far for most of us, but if you did then 10 Eco points to you and well done for putting rubbish to good use.
I did make note on P1 that putting them in compost doesn't work as they come out pretty much as they went in. There is a good reason for this and that they are made from:
95% calcium carbonate! Along with:
0.3% phosphorus
0.3% magnesium
Traces of sodium, potassium, zinc, manganese, iron, and copper.
CC is basically limestone so its unsurprising chips of that don't break down. It's also very alkali so if you have plants which like that, or acidic soil which needs neutralising then it's good stuff. So how to get it into the ground?
Well if you want to dry them further and stop the risk of salmonella then collect as many as poss and cook them in the oven. I wouldn't really recommend putting them in on their own, put them in when you're cooking something else so you don't waste gas/electric. Maybe with a roast chicken, that would be ironic wouldn't it.
After that you need to process them into something resembling fine sand and dust. Do this either with a pestle and mortar, rolling pin, food blender or coffee grinder etc.
Then you have what is basically lime with a few other useful bits in there. So either add it to your soil or your compost.
As said it's a lot of faff for so little, but I thought you might find it interesting at least!
A bit pf a faff as you say but worth it IMO.
I add to one of mine when the bin under the sink is full of paper, veg peelings, cardboard etc., usually once a week.
I've also got a heap of beech chips now from when the beech trees were taken down before Christmas. I can add some to the heaps or spread them on paths in the wildlife area.
I hate throwing anything away if I can help it but was stumped with what to do with eggshells. Now I know!