FIRST TIME USING ORGANIC FERTILIZER AND CRUSHED EGGSHELLS

I’m interested in adding a couple of soil amendments to help my plants reach their full potential. Similar to giving my kiddos a fiber gummy everyday… this is like giving my plants their routine vitamins!

Below is a peak into my square foot gardens...

As you can see, my middle square foot garden box is thriving, at least compared to the outer boxes. We have good looking tomatoes (about 18” high), the radishes are growing, my basil is strong, the carrots have leaves…

However, my green peppers and dill are not looking so good… regardless of which box they’re sitting in.

Long story short, my outer side boxes are not looking as strong as I hoped. Keep in mind the middle and right box both have the same type of soil… so that’s a mystery.

Let’s introduce some organic tomato food

I’ve decided that I need to take matters into my own hands and add a little extra magic to the garden. I’ve heard of “tomato food” so I asked my hubby to pick some up at the grocery store on his next trip.

Keep in mind with all the COVID-19 cases, I haven’t been able to go to my local nursery or even The Home Depot to leisurely shop and browse. I am sincerely looking forward to the day where I can go GARDEN SHOPPING (preferably without toddlers) and scoop up new garden goodies. But until then… I’ll take what I can get. Can anyone else relate during this crazy time?

Anyways, husband came home with Jobe’s Organic Tomato & Veggie Food

The instructions for use are on the back… but of course I had to check my best friend, YouTube to see it used in action. I’m such a visual learner and I always pick up and extra tip or trick whenever I see someone do it versus just reading the directions. I liked what THIS video had to say.

She basically just scoops a little bit out and sprinkles the food over the soil, then takes a little digging tool/garden rake and lets it sink into the soil even further. Sounds good to me 😊 I followed the instructions, which say to use 1.5 cups of food per square foot and just copied what the lady did.

I started with the 9x tomato plants I have, including the strong 3 tomatoes I have in the middle box. I also added to my jalapeno peppers and avocado tree. I skipped the radishes, carrots, and dill. Reason being: the radishes and carrots are a lot newer so I want to give them a few more weeks to become established. And the Dill is technically an herb… so I don’t know if that kind of food is good for it… sad story because my dill is probably the worst thing growing in my garden right now (tear).

Another method I’m excited to try is eggshells.

Eggshells are a kitchen staple that most people throw in the trash, but they are actually pretty useful in our gardens. Eggshells are made out of calcium carbonate.

Tomatoes need calcium, so hopefully my tomatoes love this extra dose of calcium and grow strong. I saw this tip on an Instagram friend’s page and realized how quickly my family goes through eggs in our house. Seems like an easy boost to me!

Note it does take several months for the eggshells to breakdown and be absorbed into the roots of the plant (if you don’t add vinegar beforehand). Therefore, I probably won’t do this as often as a store-bought fertilizer which I believe is a 4-6 week type of thing.

Instructions for Use:

Save your eggshells, rinse out with water, and let dry out in an open container (doesn’t smell bad or anything)
One source even recommended microwaving them for a few seconds to kill off any bacteria
Find way to crush up… you can use an extra coffee grinder or blender if you’re really lucky, or just mash up with a wooden spoon, or a mortar and pestle (which is how I’m going to do it)
Try to get as fine of a mixture as possible
Sprinkle eggshell mixture around base
Water and work into the soil (with tool or fingers) very gently

TODDLER EGGSHELL SMASH

FINISHED PRODUCT

ADD TO PLANTS

I’m excited for some major improvements. I know I need to work on my gardening patience, but I’m very optimistic about these amendments and hoping for the best. I intend to try the eggshells again in about 3-4 months.

Another future experiment that I cannot speak to is adding old coffee grinds to the eggshell mix. Maybe next time! Let me know if you’ve seen success with this… if you are a fan of the eggshells method… or if you have a favorite store-bought fertilizer you know and love for your vegetable garden.

The Garden Tots