The problem with growing vegetables, is that we humans aren’t the only creatures that thinks the veggies are tasty. Unfortunately one of the creatures that often frequents my garden is the slimy, old slug. I don’t know about you, but I like to avoid using chemicals and nasty things in my garden if I can. So what can you do if you don’t want to use slug pellets but get stop slugs from eating your plants? Egg shells!! It is super, super easy too!

How to use egg shells to stop slugs from eating your plants:

What you need:

• A garden with vegetables or delicious plants
• Egg shells, washed and dried (I wash mine in warm water, and then leave them to air dry over night in a colander)

What to do:

1. Smash up your egg shells into tiny pieces. It can hurt your fingers if you do it with your hands, so using a rolling pin, mortar and pestle, food processor or something alone those lines is a great idea. You don’t want the egg shells too small, and not too big either! About the size of an M&M or Skittle (thats a universal measurement right?)

2. Place the egg shells around the base of each plant, or if you have a lot, then sprinkle all over your soil.

Not only do the sharp edges of the shells stop the slugs or snails from making a meal out of your vegetables, the shells are also beneficial for your soil. Egg shells have a lot of calcium in them, and this is a great nutrient for plants such as tomatoes and cabbage. My great-uncle used to put a heap of milk powder in the hole he had dug for his tomatoes (calcium) so this same concept can be transferred to egg shells too! So even if you aren’t adding them to your garden to control slugs, you can chuck them in your compost bin – and they decompose quickly too.

If you often have an abundance of eggs shells, you can store the clean and dried eggs shells in a jar and save them up for a time when you need them

I have found that the eggs shells work for keeping the slugs off my garden, although you do need to keep sprinkling them over the garden as the rain can move them around. Let me know if egg shells work for you or if you have any clever, natural pest deterrents!