What did you do in the garden today?

[gtaus]

For many years, we changed our old habit to use water wisely.

I have lived in places where water was most valuable and you did not want to waste any. Life is more difficult when water is scarce.

When I got out of the service, I moved to a lake property. We have well water. We have a septic system. I cannot tell you how much water we waste because it's free to us. Long showers, washing the cars, watering the lawn and gardens, etc... However, it's not really wasted as all the water in the septic system gets returned to the ground via the drainage field and probably ends up back in the lake at some point.

I am so thankful that I don't have to worry about fresh water where we now live. I'm getting too old to load up the car with fresh water bottles for drinking and cooking like we had to in some places where I was stationed overseas.

 

[SkyAJK]

if can grow up to 2 ft and produces well.

I better get ready to build something for it to grow on. It will be so nice to see the pod and all.

 

[akroberts1085]

Are you using pots or planting in a bed? Egg shells won't break down unless you prepare them with vinegar. There are lots of YouTube videos on this. Spent coffee grounds are a good source of nitrogen, but straight out of the can coffee is too strong. Also, potting soil or plain soil from the garden will underperform in containers.

Thank you for the info. I'm not really sure if any part of the experiment is going to work. The coffee grounds are used and the egg shells were sent through the blender to grind them down. I'm using paper cups as pots for the seeds to grow. I don't really care if any of them grow because I still have more seeds to plant. I will keep everyone updated on the failures/successes. I do appreciate everyone giving me advice on the experiment.

 

[chickengr]

I better get ready to build something for it to grow on. It will be so nice to see the pod and all.

it grows like a bush. just needs space. it does not need any support.

 

[SkyAJK]

I have lived in places where water was most valuable and you did not want to waste any. Life is more difficult when water is scarce.

When I got out of the service, I moved to a lake property. We have well water. We have a septic system. I cannot tell you how much water we waste because it's free to us. Long showers, washing the cars, watering the lawn and gardens, etc... However, it's not really wasted as all the water in the septic system gets returned to the ground via the drainage field and probably ends up back in the lake at some point.

I am so thankful that I don't have to worry about fresh water where we now live. I'm getting too old to load up the car with fresh water bottles for drinking and cooking like we had to in some places where I was stationed overseas.

No wasting water here, it costs money to waste water. Water is expensive than before.

Since the time we had no rain and was on the edge of drinking sewage recycling water, we are using water wisely, a habit we got and it stuck, another incentive also is that water costs more now.

We have rain water tank since that time of no rain...now we have so much rain that our garden is flooded...still we take short shower, I have not wash my car with a hose ....I can not remember for how long since last time. My car gets wash by me parking it out side so the rain can wash it for me.

 

[chickengr]

I am getting tomato and pepper starts from a friend's friend. so I'll have some veggies before mine grow (started from seed).

 

[SkyAJK]

it grows like a bush. just needs space. it does not need any support.

Thanks. I thought beans..climb. That is good then it does not climb, I planted in a big pot this morning. I just make sure my chickens do not go for it.

 

[gtaus]

Useful Info on Composting Eggshells

I did a quick AI inquiry about composting eggshells and comparing that to using chickens to first eat the eggshells and then composting the chicken poo.

I'll just copy and paste the response for anyone interested in this topic. I thought the response was interesting.

***********************
Eggshells are primarily composed of calcium carbonate, which is a stable compound that takes a long time to break down under normal conditions. Here's what you need to know:

Breakdown Time​

• In Compost: Eggshells can take years to fully decompose in compost, especially if left whole. Crushing or grinding them into smaller pieces significantly speeds up the process, as it increases the surface area for microbial activity.
• In Soil: In acidic soil, finely crushed eggshells dissolve faster, releasing calcium to plants. However, intact eggshells can remain visible for decades or even centuries.

Impact of Size​

• Smaller pieces decompose faster because they provide more surface area for microbes and chemical reactions. Crushing eggshells before adding them to compost or soil is highly recommended.

Effect of Chickens Eating Eggshells​

• When chickens eat eggshells, their digestive systems break them down into smaller particles. The calcium is absorbed by the chicken, and any remaining fragments are excreted in their manure.
• In Compost: Eggshells in chicken manure may decompose faster due to the breakdown that occurs in the chicken's digestive system and the nutrient-rich environment of the manure.

If you're composting eggshells, crushing them first or using chicken manure as part of the compost mix can help speed up the process. Let me know if you'd like tips on optimizing your composting setup!

 

[SkyAJK]

Useful Info on Composting Eggshells

I did a quick AI inquiry about composting eggshells and comparing that to using chickens to first eat the eggshells and then composting the chicken poo.

I'll just copy and paste the response for anyone interested in this topic. I thought the response was interesting.

***********************
Eggshells are primarily composed of calcium carbonate, which is a stable compound that takes a long time to break down under normal conditions. Here's what you need to know:

Breakdown Time​

• In Compost: Eggshells can take years to fully decompose in compost, especially if left whole. Crushing or grinding them into smaller pieces significantly speeds up the process, as it increases the surface area for microbial activity.
• In Soil: In acidic soil, finely crushed eggshells dissolve faster, releasing calcium to plants. However, intact eggshells can remain visible for decades or even centuries.

Impact of Size​

• Smaller pieces decompose faster because they provide more surface area for microbes and chemical reactions. Crushing eggshells before adding them to compost or soil is highly recommended.

Effect of Chickens Eating Eggshells​

• When chickens eat eggshells, their digestive systems break them down into smaller particles. The calcium is absorbed by the chicken, and any remaining fragments are excreted in their manure.
• In Compost: Eggshells in chicken manure may decompose faster due to the breakdown that occurs in the chicken's digestive system and the nutrient-rich environment of the manure.

If you're composting eggshells, crushing them first or using chicken manure as part of the compost mix can help speed up the process. Let me know if you'd like tips on optimizing your composting setup!

I do grind eggshells to powder and free choice for my chickens and also put it in my compost bin. I do baked them first. It is a job I do not do often as grinding eggshells to powder is a lot of work. My grinder machine is small, it gets all heat up very quickly.

 

[akroberts1085]

That's why I used my single serve blender to grind them up. I know it takes a long time for egg shells to fully compost, although I wasn't aware of it taking possibly centuries to decompose. Thank you for the information. I'm always learning and learning is how we gain knowledge which allows us to be more efficient.