This project is very timely considering Easter is less than a week away. Use your leftover decorated or undecorated shells for this project.
Be sure to check out my tips at the bottom for a kids project and using your cardboard egg cartons.
Eggshell Seed Starters
•eggshells, gently washed and dried
•egg carton, top cut off
•ice pick or awl
•potting soil
•seeds
Gently break your egg open close to the top, ensuring that you save most of the egg for planting in. Clear out the contents, and carefully gently wash and dry it. Pierce the bottom with an ice pick or awl to provide a drainage hole. Set the eggshell in an egg carton.
Fill each eggshell with soil, drop in 2 to 3 seeds and cover with more soil. Moisten the soil with a mist of water and place the egg carton in a warm, sunny location with good air flow. Keep the soil moist and turn the carton occasionally to ensure even growth.
When it's safe to plant the seedlings outside, you can plant them in the ground -- eggshell and all.
TIPS:
Kids will have a great time dyeing or decorating shells, planting seeds in them, and watching the seedlings grow. Grass or wheat seeds work great for this. Use the seeding directions above, but make sure your potting soil is completely wet, not just moist.
If you don't have eggshells, just use the cardboard carton itself as a seedling tray. Poke a hole in the bottom of each eggcup for drainage and follow the seeding directions above. When you're ready to plant them outside, just cut the eggcups into individual sections and plant them, cardboard and all. The cardboard will biodegrade as the plants grow.
Crushed eggshells add valuable nutrients to your garden. If you have lots of eggshells (left over from Easter, perhaps) check out this info on using them in your garden: .
