In Minnesota, most gardeners start planning and dreaming about their gardens as early as the day they close up their garden in the fall. Our winters are long and cold and preparing for spring gives everyone a reason to endure winter and continue to live here. I realize that sounds dramatic! Haha!
Our Journey with Gardening
While there’s more to it than that, one of my favorite things about Minnesota is that we get to experience all 4 seasons. Fresh produce has always been part of my life. I come from a long line of gardeners. Something you may not know about us is that my husband, I, our kids and my father-in-law started an organic gardening business a few years back. We sold Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares and always had an abundance of produce. I love to can and freeze produce, so it was an incredibly fruitful time.
Pictured: One of our high tunnel greenhouses. We had 2 along with an acre garden!
While we have scaled back around here and no longer run that business (holy long hours), we still enjoy gardening for ourselves. Mostly, I purchase our plants and seeds each spring at one of our local nurseries. It’s part of the fun for me. Our daughter and I head out and load up on all the plants, flowers and seeds and come home and end up with dirt up to our elbows. I love that she has acquired this love for fresh, healthy food and the time it takes to yield the benefits.
Starting Seeds in Eggshells: An Eco-Friendly Gardening Hack
If you’re looking to get a head start on your garden, save money, and create a fun project, planting seeds in eggshells is a great option! Eggshells are rich in calcium carbonate which helps promote healthy plants. Calcium is essential for strong root development, and using eggshells as natural planters adds an extra boost of nutrients to your soil as they decompose.
Eggshells are ideal for starting seeds, whether indoors or outdoors. Indoors, they’re the perfect fit for a sunny windowsill, where their compact size helps speed up germination by keeping the soil warm and moist. Plus, they make a charming, Instagram-worthy addition to your seed-starting setup!
While most plants can be started in eggshells, some thrive particularly well when given an early start indoors. Plants like tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, herbs and flowers benefit from early planting and transplanting once the weather warms up. Because eggshells are small, they’re ideal for fast-growing seedlings that you can move to your garden within a few weeks of sprouting.
How to Plant Seeds in Eggshells
Collect Eggshells If I don’t need eggs right away, I crack them, cook them, and feed them to my chickens—they love it!
Rinse the Eggshells Make sure to rinse the eggshells thoroughly with water.
Fill with Potting Soil Fill each eggshell with potting soil, leaving a little room at the top.
Plant Your Seeds Add 2-3 seeds to each eggshell and bury them at the depth recommended on the seed packet. For faster germination, you can soak the seeds overnight before planting.
Place in a Sunny Spot Place the eggshell planters in a sunny windowsill and keep the soil moist. A spray bottle works great for this!
Wait for Germination Germination times vary by plant, so be patient. Once your seedlings are 4-5 inches tall, they’re ready to be hardened off and transplanted outdoors.
Transplant to Your Garden When you're ready to plant outside, carefully crush the eggshells to allow the roots to grow freely. Then plant the seedlings, shell and all, in your garden or pot.
Cute little sprouts on day 5
Apparently, Miracle thought she needed to guard the seedlings!
Our Favorite Spring and Summer Garden Activities
As we head into spring and summer, we look forward to spending countless hours in the garden and around the dinner table, enjoying the fruits of our labor. My chickens are just as excited about the scraps and fresh greens they get to munch on! Whatever activities you love during these warmer months, make the most of them—winter will be here before you know it, and we’ll be back to dreaming of warmer days.
Tinkerbell decided to get in on the flower planting this year.
Until next time,
-The Wing Lady