Don’t Throw away Those Eggshells

Just a couple hints while thinking toward the garden growing season.

Smash those eggshells as fine as you can and then add it to your potting soil or garden area. Not only are they jammed with nutrients, they also aerate the soil.

This I picked up from a grand parent- dig a hole between rows in your garden and put all your veggie scraps in it. Anything un-cooked, still has it’s nutrients and you can feed your garden with it, instead of loading up the garbage can.

I use Diatomaceous Earth (food grade) to curb the insects in the garden. It’s harmless to your plants and yourself. You can pick it up at the feed store in just about any quantity, up to a 50# bag.

Leaves covered with the kaolin clay are ignored by many common pests, and those that do nibble on clay-coated leaves usually move on. Organically grown produce that has traces of a dusty off-white residue was probably treated with kaolin clay. You can pick up kaolin clay from a pottery supply.

The oldest and best known of biological pesticides is Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis ssp. kurstaki), which remains a top remedy for leaf-eating caterpillars. Bt is based on a naturally occurring soil bacterium that causes the insect’s gut to rupture several hours after it eats it. A newer biological pesticide called spinosad is a fermented brew of two naturally occurring bacteria, and it slowly paralyzes insects after they eat it.