How one man’s trash is another plant’s super-food
A friend just tipped me off to one of her favorite gardening tricks, which rather brilliantly requires pretty much zero effort and doesn't cost a thing.
Turns out some of your kitchen castoffs-specifically, eggshells and coffee grinds-are packed with soil-enriching nutrients. The eggshells are loaded with calcium that stimulates plant growth-as plants mature, they suck up calcium from the soil, and it's a good idea to replenish their supply of it to keep them healthy and happy. Meanwhile, coffee grinds contain nitrogen and other minerals that have similar plant-boosting effects, especially for acid-loving varieties like blueberries, roses, azaleas, and tomatoes.
To get your eggshells garden-ready, just give them a rinse, crush them by hand, and either mix them into your soil or scatter them around the base of your plants. Doing the latter also has an added bonus: keeping slugs and snails at bay, since they're likely to retreat once they try to cross a jagged path. You can also use eggshells in lieu of stones at the bottom of a flowerpot to help with aeration and drainage.
With the coffee grinds, I've heard mixed things: my friend says she dries hers out in the oven to avoid growing mold, though I also read on sustainableenterprises.com that you can simply sprinkle the used grinds in your flower beds before watering to give them a slow-release nitrogen fix. What's your take?
