Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Guest Post: Planting Seeds in Egg Shells

"Well, hello everyone, I'm Sue and you can find me hanging out over at House Pretty.   I am super excited to be here!  I was thrilled when Mary invited me to guest post on her very informative blog. 
First, I'll tell you a bit about myself, what I am up to, and my blog.  I named my blog House Pretty, because my husband and I, along with our daughter, purchased a 50 year old house, three years ago.  I thought the house was ugly, and I wanted to make it pretty! I know, I know, I'm not that original, lol! 
We are updating our house, including replacing trim, doors, and flooring.  I am pretty much painting every square inch of our home, both inside and out.  The outside happened last summer, and what a job that was!  Now, I'm working on the inside, room by room.  It's a really good thing I like to paint, or I would be one very unhappy girl!  Truth is, I can normally be found holding a paint brush, or roller, when I'm not knitting. But the warmer temperatures are really what I thrive in, and since I live in New Brunswick, Canada, we don't see nearly enough of them! And, along with the normal enjoyable summer activities, we get to the good stuff! I don't just like pretty inside, I like it outside as well. I have been creating pretty outdoor spaces since my husband and I moved into our first home.

Now, in our fourth, and possibly final home (we had to move several times because of my husband's work), I'm really expanding my garden. One idea I'm incorporating, is mixing flowers with veggies! Now, I ask myself, why did I never do this before? I just always had it in my head that the two should never mix. Wrong! Beauty comes in many forms. And what, I ask, is more colorful than a plump red tomato?! Or pole beans for greenery? I think you can get the idea where I'm going with this.

Here's a little sampling of what is still asleep and buried under some snow, in our garden.
 
 
 
And here are the beginnings of some veggies and herbs to come!
  

I ordered some Heirloom seeds from none other than my friend, and yours, Mary! And would you believe, every single seed I planted came up!  That has never happened to me before, with any seeds I have planted!  The missing one you see there was in no way a reflection of the quality of her seeds. Rather, it is a reflection of my clutzy nature!  As in, right after my daughter put a seed in each egg shell, I knocked one over, and out came soil, and I think seed as well.  As I said, I'm kind of clutzy, lol!

It's my first year of planting my seeds in empty egg shells. I thought I would give it a try this year, and see how I make out. Normally when you would plant these in the ground, you just need to squeeze gently on the shell, to crush it up some, to allow the plants roots to be able to poke out through and burrow their way into the ground. And, the egg shell is excellent compost! Win! Win! Unless you live in New Brunswick, Canada, and your planting season starts, safely, towards the end of June, Ugh! Then, you prepare your shells to be placed in the ground, only you don't put them in the ground. Instead, you transfer them to cups. Then you transfer them, egg shell home and all, into the ground! I was just too anxious to dig in some dirt, and play with my seeds when they came, and I didn't want to have to wait, lol!"
The fun doesn't end with making my house pretty (get it?  house pretty?  House Pretty?)  Oh no, I'm also in the midst of going through a major decluttering of our home.  I'm talking cupboards, extra furniture, toys, you name it!  Between donating, and selling on Kijiji (Craigslist for those of you in the U.S.), more is going every day. 
I love my auctions, since I am very frugal, but I don't purchase to add to my possessions, I purchase to replace with good quality, that which wears out.  I have my limit set, and when that limit is reached, my paddle goes down, lol!
And, since I love pretty,  and I love to knit, I've also very recently, (as in I'm adding to it weekly) opened an Etsy shop, wait for it...House Pretty's. I know, by now, you must all be thinking, come on, is this girl seriously that unoriginal?  Hey, my motto is "if it isn't broken, don't fix it".  My shop consists of all knit items, for the home, and for the person.  New types of items are currently being worked on to add to my shop. 
So, that gives you a brief overview of what I'm up to over at House Pretty!  
And, now that I've completely talked your ears off, I'll hand you back over to Mary.
Thanks so much, Mary, for inviting me!

Sue Curwin

http://housepretty.blogspot.com/ 

Linking up HERE and Wildcrafting Wednesday

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks again, Mary, for the wonderful opportunity!!

Unknown said...

Great guest post! I just tried this for the first time this year! I am looking forward to seeing how it works.

Cynthia at http://FeedingBig.com

Barbara @ 21 Rosemary Lane said...

What a lovely post by Sue...thank you Sue for sharing with us! Have a great week!!
XO Barbara

MyCleanerLabelLife said...

I believe tat i am a bit behind but am definitely going to try this! I also hear if you sprinkle egg shells by our plants..it will deter animals! We have tons of squirrels and chipmunks so i have been leery but my kids want a garden! I am hosting today at http://www.frugalfitfamily.com - stop by if you can!

Unknown said...

Very cool! I have never seen seeds planted in eggshells. Thinking I will try that if I ever get back to gardening.
xoxo tiffani
www.tiffanigoff.com

HannahW said...

Great idea and little ones could get involved! I'd love it if you'd share your post with us at Eco-Kids Tuesday Link-Up

Mrs B said...

Wow that is a great idea! will be pinning and sharing on FB & Twitter!

Banba said...

What a great idea!

Prims and Annies said...

what a great idea to plant in eggshells..there are so many nutrients in them..we throw ours in the compost pile and the birds take them out to eat the membrane that is left behind.

mail4rosey said...

What a neat idea. Your enthusiasm is contagious too, I can tell you really like working outside. :)

I'm visiting from Sincerely Paula's No Rules Weekend Blog Party.

ChrissyBernal said...

Great idea! My kids will love doing this this weekend!

Ana Love Craft said...

Darling idea! Love it!Thanks for sharing!
Have a fabulous weekend!
Hugs from Portugal,

Ana Love Craft
www.lovecraft2012.blogspot.com

Mixed Kreations said...

Visiting from Rock 'N Share Wednesday. This is a great idea. I always fill up little pots that I have saved to start my seeds. But this is a much better idea, and I can just plant directly in the ground. Thanks for sharing.

Linda @ Mixed Kreations

Justine said...

Stopping by from the Saturday Spotlight, I am your newest follower. Thanks for sharing! http://queenofsavings.com

Mindie Hilton said...

Will be featuring you soon on Bacon Time!

Diana of Diana Rambles said...

Love it! What a great idea!!

suzyhomemaker said...

Great idea. Thanks for sharing. It is getting me motivated to start my garden.

Michelle O said...

I know that egg shells are great for the soil, so starting seeds off in them is such a great idea - and eco-friendly too!

Thank you for sharing this at Cook, Craft, Create! at The Purple Pumpkin Blog.

Look forward to seeing what you link up next!

Happy Wednesday :D
Michelle xx

Carrie Robinson said...

Fabulous guest post! Thank you for linking it up with Marvelous Mondays this week. :)

I have always used crushed egg shells when planting my garden, but had never thought to start my seeds in empty egg shells- genius!

Black Fox Homestead said...

I love older homes. We had to leave one behind in order to make our move here to the country. Best wishes on your Etsy site. We have a little store front too ~ I’ll come and look you up. :) Thank you for sharing this (through Mary) at the HomeAcre Hop. Feel free to link up any time.

We host every Thursday. http://blackfoxhomestead.com/the-homeacre-hop/

~Jenny

Mackenzie said...

I need to try this again this Spring... last year wasn't very successful. Maybe I had bad seeds, or maybe it was just me! ;) You are a Featured Favorite on Saturday Show & Tell at Cheerios and Lattes this week, thanks for joining us last week, we love having you! Can't wait to see what you've been up to this week!
Mackenzie :)

The Tablescaper said...

Just lovely signs of Spring.

I'd love to have you link your post to Seasonal Sundays. The link goes up at 7 pm on Saturday evening.

- The Tablescaper

Barb said...

I need to try this with my kids. Looks like an easy project for them, plus it's so green since we're recycling the egg shells.

Thanks for linking up at Fabulously Frugal Thursday!

April said...

I LOVE this idea, it makes perfect sense in giving your seeds a healthy start. Thank you so much for sharing with Saturday Spotlight last week. I hope you come by today to share more of your awesome creations! Happy Easter :)

http://angelshomestead.com/

April