eggshells in the compost

How long do you bake them, and at what temperature, so that they will break down in the compost? I have eggshells over a year old in the compost, still fresh looking.

I just heat mine until they're brittle and can break up in to little pieces easily. I used to set them in a tin pan on the woodstove or radiator; probably a low heat for ten minutes would do it. They start to stink after they've cooked for awhile.

Well it's really my wife who's the gardener but I'm the cook and most of the eggshells that go into the compost aren't cooked at all. We never have (eg) hard-boiled eggs for breakfast so nearly always it's a case of breaking eggs for dishes such as carbonara. You're right about them not breaking down very well (it's pretty cold here in Inverness, so nothing breaks down all that well. But it's not a problem as they're such a small percentage of the total compost.

I just squish them so they're in small pieces and put them in as is. I had no idea that cooking them would make them break down better. Will have to check that out. I always figured that the sharp chunks of eggshell were good for annoying the slugs, anyway :)

Ditto. Crush a bit and chuck in as is. IF they're still present when it comes to using the compost then I just dig them into the ground anyway.

If you have an open compost system they are less likely to attract rodents if they're "baked" a bit and crushed. It gets rid of the left over liquidy stuff that is so attractive to rats!

I've never baked mine, although my mother-in-law always did. I rinse them even though I have a closed and hopefully rat-proof system. Why ask for trouble, I figure? I also crush them lightly after rinsing, before putting them in my bucket. You are right...they don't generally break down completely, but I agree with tardis that they probably discourage the slugs!

We don't have rats. Really. At all. There's a Rat Patrol that takes care of them. Google alberta rat patrol if you don't believe me.

I have found mouse nests (generally full of baby mice) in the compost but I'm sure it isn't the eggshells that attract them. I think it's the other food sources, the warmth, and the protection from cats, and I've been dumping buckets of water in to discourage them. This is more for my benefit than theirs as I feel like such a murderer when I disturb them. Also the water keeps the compost working - it tends to be a bit dry here so things don't break down very quickly if I don't add extra water.

I gardened in Alberta for 24 years and I agree with you, tardis. No rats. I accidentally left soil in some flats in my shed one year and there were little dead mice in them the following spring :-( I added extra water to my compost often too. However, here on Vancouver Island, we DO have rats. All the neighbourhood cats love my garden, however, so we don't often find living ones...just the dead ones that are presented to me by the cats! I still figure washing my eggshells is a good idea though. I went to a composting seminar when we first moved here, and was told to do that.

9> My mum lives not too far from you (on Salt Spring Island) and she has rats too. Last year one fattie got stuck between a couple of slats while trying to get out of their compost heap and died there. Ick. Worse than the slugs (which I also have relatively few of, it being much drier here).

Sleepinkat, my sister is on Vancouver Island, in Duncan. Where are you?

I was so certain we didn't have rats, until my neighbor's siamese cat caught one in MY raspberry patch! EEK!

I'm going to bake, just so I know they break down sooner. I don't want rats thinking this is an open air restaurant here. I have a really, really good hunting cat, and my neighbors have those two marvelous siamese hunters, but still. I'm used to the slugs by now.

fyi: the shells still remain pretty sharp after they bake; they may even end up a bit sharper. I don't think slugs would be too fond of them either way.

Since we're talking trash ;o) I thought I'd post a photo of our compost pile. It's quite impressive, I must say - my partner nurtures it year-round. She calls it the "sacred compost pile." We had to get a closed barrel for food scraps (the big green one behind the pile) because we had rats around. We still get plenty of material for the open pile though.





Garden soil - just compost, green manure and shredded leaves:

I just crush the eggshells--no rinsing and no baking-- then add them to the pile. One open and one in a bin here on Long Island, NY. They break down well enough. I also add them to my worm bin, very well crushed, and the worms take care of them with just an occasional leftover bit of shell.

Thanks for the photos, Teelgee. You've given me a case of compost envy!

I'm in Victoria, or rather View Royal (a small suburb), Windy. I love your compost, teelgee, but I could never have one like that here. I have two black round bins, with 1/4 inch mesh underneath...again, the rats. However, I remember my mother having an open compost in North Vancouver. The problem she had with it was that morning glory started to grow in it, and once you have that it is very difficult to eradicate, and of course it spread everywhere she used the compost!

We're really careful about what goes into the compost pile (garbage in, garbage out!) - we don't put any noxious weeds or seedy things in there; at least we try not to - obviously we can't be 100% vigilant. But with the open system, it doesn't heat up much and won't kill those seeds, etc. My partner is always on the lookout for what goes in the pile!

Me too. I don't put any weeds into my own compost...those, including chickweed, go into the community compost which is much bigger. I have used my round black composters for years, and get wonderful black gold out of them.