With spring on your doorstep you may find that there are a few more green things sprouting out of the ground. Why not join in and sprout a few green things yourself? And maybe you’re saving eggshells to decorate for the upcoming Easter holiday. If so, then this is the perfect craft project for you: Eggshell Planters.
Eggshells have long been handy in gardens. The calcium they provide adds nutrients to the soil and crushed eggshells deter snails and slugs from devouring tender young sprouts. So why not continue with the useful eggshell and utilize it’s perfect nurturing shape to make a small planter for seeds. It’ll be a nice addition to your Easter egg dyeing project and you’ll have plenty of eggs for some delicious treats!
You can sprout any seed in a small compact space, like an eggshell. So choose a plant you’d like to have around. Think of herbs that can be used in the kitchen or flowers you’d like to decorate your room. You can find a wide variety of seeds at any nursery.
What You Will Need:
- Eggshells: hollowed out and with the top 1/3 of the shell cracked off
- Knife
- Cotton
- Potting Soil
- Small spoon
- Seeds
- Optional: Food coloring or paint to decorate eggshells, small jars or pots to hold the eggshell planters or cardboard and glue to make cardboard ring holders.
Directions:
- Crack the egg around the top. To do this take a knife and tap the topside of the pointy end of the egg. Tap again on the other side of the pointy end. You should be able to crack only the top part of the shell off leaving the majority of the eggshell intact.
- If you want to decorate your eggshells go ahead and do this step now. You can paint them with paint or dye them with food coloring, really anything.
- Place a small piece of cotton in the bottom of the eggshell. This will help with draining the water.
- Using the small spoon fill the eggshell with potting soil.
- Make an indent in the soil and either place a few seeds, about a pinch’s worth, of your liking.
- Cover the indentation with a thin layer of soil and lightly water the eggshell planter.
- Place your planter in a windowsill with sunlight (the seed package should tell you whether the seeds need full or partial sunlight) and watch your plants sprout!
Eggshell Holders:
You’ll notice pretty quickly as your making your eggshell planters that the eggs don’t stand up on their own. Which means that you’ll need a holder for your eggshell planter. Think about using the egg carton that the eggs came in. You can use small jars or even 1-inch terra cotta pots.
There’s also the option to make a holder with a piece of cardboard. Take a piece of cardboard, pliable cardboard like card stock or poster board works best, and cut out a small rectangle. Depending on the size of your egg you’ll want to measure the rectangle so that the egg fits in it snuggly. Glue the short ends of the rectangle together to make a ring. Your egg can sit in the cardboard ring you’ve made and feel free to decorate this holder anyway you want!
You can use a variety of things to hold your eggshell planters. Don’t let this list of suggestions be your only guide- get creative!
Plant Cuttings:
There’s also the option to use plant cuttings in your eggshell planters instead of sprouting a plant from seed. Succulents, like cactus or jade plants, will work if you cut from a mature plant and transfer to soil. If you have a specific plant in mind you’d like to use, do some research and see if planting a cutting is an option.
Add a little spring to your home and have fun making your eggshell planters!
Have Your Say
What plant do you want to sprout in your eggshell planter? Tell us in the comments section below!
