What did you do in the garden today?

[CluckNDoodle]

Am I the only one that thinks that if those were dipped in egg wash, rolled in cracker crumbs and deep fried in hot oil those juicy grubs just might taste pretty good?


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[chickengr]

What should I do with empty eggshells? I have a whole bread bag full of them.

My first thought was to crush up the eggshells and put them into the compost. But I have been reading that eggshells don't decompose and release all that calcium into the soil for something like 100 years.

My second thought was to crush up the eggshells and feed them to the chickens, either mixed in with their main commercial feed in the hanging 5 gallon PVC bucket feeder, or by itself in my smaller grit and calcium feeders.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

I bury them next to tomato plants when I transplant them. never found eggshells at the end of season.

 

[chickengr]

So, if the eggshells "disappear" into the soil, then what happens to the nutrients? The physical shell is no longer there which would lead one to believe that it has broken down into it's base elements. Those elements will bind with other elements (soil, water, etc). So I'm not understanding why those elements can't be taken up by a plant any differently than other elements available in the soil? I'd like to understand the science behind their claim. I'm not saying they are right or wrong. I'm just questioning what science supports their claim.

exactly. there are to smarties free to say whatever they feel like. I cannot imagine gost calcium sitting in soil and waiting to be released.

 

[Sueby]

I hope I like spaghetti squash.

You've never tried it? I love it & I'm a very picky veggie eater. DH likes it too now, I had to remind him that it is indeed squash & NOT spaghetti & he's good with it now. The first time I made it he was disappointed, lol.

I grew it for the first time last year & was very happy with it. It eventually succumbed to some type of mildew (as most squash does here) but it produced quite a few good squash that lasted well into the winter. Something I will probably always grow now.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Crushed, not pulverized egg shells sprinkled around the garden deters slugs. Cheaper than serving them beer.

 

[DParker75089]

So, if the eggshells "disappear" into the soil, then what happens to the nutrients? The physical shell is no longer there which would lead one to believe that it has broken down into it's base elements. Those elements will bind with other elements (soil, water, etc). So I'm not understanding why those elements can't be taken up by a plant any differently than other elements available in the soil? I'd like to understand the science behind their claim. I'm not saying they are right or wrong. I'm just questioning what science supports their claim.

Just because the shell fragments are too small for you to see and differentiate from other parts of the soil doesn't mean that they've decomposed into their constituent elements. They can do so, but the soil needs to be fairly acidic (have a low pH) in order to react with the calcium carbonate and free up the calcium in any sort of reasonable time frame.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

I spent 4 hours working st the Farm Garden today. I weeded the strawberry bed and removed about 100+ grubs, I watered everything, I weed eated around all the raised beds & the blackberries & the grapes, I put cardboard down on a bit of the pathway between 2 raised beds and dumped 3 more large black trash bags of wood chips on top, I burned a small pile of dried weeds & sticker seeds, I tied up the spaghetti squash vines so that they are going on the arch trellis and I planted a few more basil plants and 2 cilantro plants ( all started from seeds) and harvested 2 stalks of asparagus which I ate while I worked . I think that was everything I did out there today. Oh and there are 2 small zucchini on the 1 plant I have out there!! There are probably about 30 very small starts of spaghetti squash on the 2 plants. I hope I like spaghetti squash.

If you don't like spaghetti squash then I'm sure your chickens will eat them. I'm growing some things I don't nessacerily like or extra, just to supplement my chickens, peafowl and pigs. They are very grateful.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Just because the shell fragments are too small for you to see and differentiate from other parts of the soil doesn't mean that they've decomposed into their constituent elements. They can do so, but the soil needs to be fairly acidic (have a low pH) in order to react with the calcium carbonate and free up the calcium in any sort of reasonable time frame.

I have a degree in physics. I understand small particles.... My point is that nature is very efficient with natural elements, especially in composting. And there's a ton of junk science and silly claims being made all the time. As I said before, I'm not saying it's right or wrong but I am saying that without seeing the data that underlies the claim, I'm not sure I believe it.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I harvested a gallon each of broccoli and purple cauliflower. I have never tried the purple cauliflower before. I don't typically like cauliflower but DH loves it. This looked very tender so I'm optimistic.

Everything seems to be developing so slow this year. I have gotten a lot of lettuce, broccoli, and yellow squash but everything else seems to be taking its sweet time. I'm ready for some fresh green beans and tomatoes. I've got flowers on the beans but no fruit yet. Tomatoes are still a week or two away from ready, as well. Oh, I do think my garlic is ready...

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Good morning gardeners. Another smokey day here. I feel the same way about the growing being slow @TJAnonymous. I have gone through this the past 5 years. My "cure" for this is taking lots of pictures then looking at those pictures lets me know if the garden is slow or I really don't remember how long things take for real. Although that hard freeze in May really did throw a bump in the growing timeline. I'm not sure what's going on with the kale this season but that is definitely slow growing, I should plant more. My lettuce and radishes are doing well and just about everything else is growing normal. Oh, the tip about the egg shells and slugs, it also helps deter cutworms. Apparently the slimy creatures don't like the feel of the eggshells on their bellys. My sunflowers have defintely germinated and are starting to get their secondary leaves. I'll try to plug away a little at the outdoor chores, but that depends on the air quality. The up side of that is that it's cool enough I don't need to open windows to cool the house down. What little bit of sunshine that get through is darkened by the ash clouds. Wah! I did get a little work done on the new garden fence after I fed the chickens earlier. Still not done. Today is bread making day. The sourdough is on it's first rise now. Tomorrow I need to run some errands and Friday is picking up mulch at HD. I checked the prices and they have the best price right now. It's already ordered so this will be a curbside pickup. Hoping to find the time when the air quality improves to mow the backyard.