Starting Your Vegetable Seeds Early!

This time I’d like to plant a seed in your wallet. 

All green thumbs (and a few green fingers) know that sprouting seedlings instead of buying store-grown plants saves you nearly 90% on your gardening costs. But how do you sprout peas, squash, and tasty tomatoes when there’s still a chill outside?
The answer can be found on your breakfast table. Do I have you walking on eggshells? Eggscellent!!

7 Reasons to get cracking:

• The entire eggshell starter pot is biodegradable.
• Cost for the eggshell planter is $0.00 — they’re free if you eat eggs.
• Eggshells contain soil-happy minerals, such as calcium and other earthy nutrients.
• Eggshell seedling pots are pet safe and kid friendly.
• Starting seeds inside (in any container) gives you a huge head-start on your garden, far before the last frost.
• Sprouted seeds are heartier and stronger when planted.
• Sprouting indoors lets you cull the weakest seedlings and remove the ones that failed to germinate.

3 Tips:

Before you plant the seeds, make sure you wash the eggshells and then boil them in a pot for three minutes to kill any bacteria.
Protect eggshells. Place each eggshell in a cardboard egg carton (or a small pot) for support.
When planting, give each eggshell a gentle (yet crushing) squeeze — you want the seedling roots to easily find the fresh soil.

I managed to grow peas, beans, basil, tomatoes and jalapenos successfully in egg shells. Happy growing!