Eggshells could be helpful for calcium deficient plants

Rather than tossing eggshells into the trash, they could prove useful in the garden both as a means of helping plant growth and keeping away pests, it has been stated.

Answering questions for the Philadelphia Inquirer, gardening columnist Michael Mills highlights that the shells provide calcium, which could be specifically beneficial for plants deficient in the item.

He explained that the most dedicated gardeners gain the greatest results by washing and drying the shells of any leftover bits of egg before crushing them into smaller pieces to be mixed into compost.

"Finely-crushed shells can be incorporated when planting, especially vegetables and most especially tomatoes and other members of the solanaceae family," according to Mr Mills.

"Blossom-end rot, a bane of tomato growers, is a phenomenon of calcium deficiency."

Meanwhile, he added that eggshells are a supposed deterrent to slugs, so placing a small crushed ring around a plant could keep the pests at bay.

Adding organic matter to soil to improve its moisture-retaining capacity or using agricultural lime to acid soils are other treatments for plants suffering with a calcium deficiency.