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Egg Shells
Orchid Lady
Posts: 5,800
I've started keeping my egg shells again to try and deter anything slimy from eating my plants!! I was just wondering if anyone knows an easier way of cleaning them as it seems to take me forever, also does the 'skin' (there probably is a technical word but I can't remember it) inside the shell need to be removed as in the past I have been told different things?
Finally, I dry them and crush them and put them in a large storage jar until I need to use them, again I just want to check that is correct?
Thanks 
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Had a look around and saw this. It might help or it might not. Dratted things.
http://www.allaboutslugs.com/eggshell-myth-busted/
Tracey - I'm a newbie too. But I've been putting mine in a jam jar with some very weak bleachy water and giving them a woosh around before putting them in the bottom of the oven for 5 minutes or so after cooking a main meal til they are dry.
I then throw them in my kilner jar and hit them with the end of the rolling pin when they get too close to the edge of the jar (trying to avoid bashing them too much until I need them else the ones at the bottom will be just dust which while it'll provide calcium for the soil can't see it deterring a slug).
It seems to be working so far!
Thanks, an interesting article. Answers my question about washing them and removing the membrane (that was the word I couldn't think of!!). They do seem to have worked for me in the past but I was wondering if all the effort was worth it or just to get slug pellets??
I know people will say go out and pick them up, but I am really squeamish with slugs so that isn't an option
If you click on the link at the bottom of that page it says that there are some new slug killers available that aren't the blue pellets and only affect the slugs. Never sure if they are effective and even if they are available in the UK. I am going to try nematodes this year. Good luck.
Thanks Clarington - I didn't realise you were a newbie, I thought you had been on ages
The tip with the bleach solution and drying them out is a good one, I do what you do with the end of a wooden spoon in the jar. I collected so many last year that I still have a jar full left - we eat lots of eggs 
Ma used to dry the eggshells off in the bottom oven of the Rayburn until they were dry and almost 'cooked'. The membrane was dry and brittle and would not have been attractive to slugs. Then the shells were crushed up much finer than in the pics on the link - almost like grit - Ma said it worked and so did Granny.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thanks Dove, I have mine quite fine at the moment. The oven is a great tip, at the moment I spend ages trying to get rid of all the membrane, obviously that eliminates the need to do that.
I think I will go with Ma and Granny's trusted method, thank you
Tracey, no I've only been here since November-ish time. I just talk a lot!
I'm going for the egg shells (on the basis that being in Yorkshire it is our favourite price a la cheap, wont cause any damage, wont harm any other animals, worse comes to worse it just gets muddled into the compost which is where it would have ended up anyway) and going out with chop sticks with a torch and bucket at night.
Not entirely sure what'll happen to the slugs once they're in my bucket though!
Urghhhhh Clari.....the thought of it turns my stomach
I agree with Dove. No need to wash. Just dry out in the oven when you are cooking something else.
I love people who are too squeamish to pick up slugs, but not to squeamish to kill them!