How to Start Seeds in Eggshells: Fun for the Whole Family!

Learn how to start seeds in eggshells! This easy DIY is a fun upcycling project that gives you a head start on the gardening season and makes a great craft activity for kids.

Linda Ly
How to start seeds in eggshells, save money, and have fun

You can start seeds in almost anything these days… peat pots, seed trays, toilet paper rolls, newspaper rolls, paper towels, perlite, vermiculite, or even that good old-fashioned thing called the ground.

But have you tried starting seeds in eggshells?

It almost seems like an urban myth, with rumors that it’s possible, but little proof of people who have actually done it successfully.

Well, I can say with absolute certainty that it works, it’s ridiculously easy, and yes, it’s even practical. It’s also a fun way to save money and repurpose kitchen scraps before they go in the compost heap.

What types of seeds to plant

Kids love this activity. It’s crafty yet constructive, and it won’t turn into another one of those artistic masterpieces you need to figure out what to do with.

If your kids are curious about gardening, starting seeds in eggshells is a good way to teach them how to plant and water seeds so they can nurture their very own garden.

Make it themed and get them excited about growing their food!

Here are a few ideas for garden themes you can try with your family:

  • Pizza garden (tomato, bell pepper, onion, basil)
  • Salsa garden (tomato, hot pepper, onion, cilantro)
  • Burrito garden (black bean, tomato, onion, cilantro)
  • Herbal tea garden (chamomile, lavender, echinacea, lemon balm, mint, stevia)
  • Single-color garden (I’m a fan of purple, so I’d do purple basil, purple kale, purple bok choy, or a variety of purple flowers)

While you can’t feasibly start a whole season of vegetable seedlings in eggshells, it’s perfect if you just want to start a few plants indoors (especially herbs and flowers) and you have limited space in your house.

Related: Find First and Last Frost Dates Accurately with This Custom Planting Calendar

Small seeds work best. Don’t try to tuck a pumpkin seed in there—the seedling and its roots will outgrow the eggshell “pot” too quickly.

Each egg goes right back into the egg carton, which is just the right size to place on a sunny windowsill. By the time you’re ready to transplant the seedlings, everything goes back into the earth by way of planting, composting, or recycling.

Seedlings started in eggshells

How to start seeds in eggshells

Step 1: Gather your cracked eggshells.

Rinse the cracked eggshells before using them. It’s perfectly okay to use unevenly cracked shells, as long as you have at least half the shell intact.

Rinse the cracked eggshells clean

Step 2: Fill each eggshell with seed starting mix.

Arrange your eggshells in a paper egg carton. Using a spoon or mini trowel, fill each eggshell pot with pre-moistened seed starting mix.

Place a couple of seeds in each “pot” according to your seed-sowing instructions.

Leave the egg carton in a sunny south-facing window in the warmest room in your house.

Fill each eggshell "pot" with seed starting mix and place a couple of seeds in each eggshell

Step 3: Keep your seed starting mix moist.

Lightly mist the soil with a spray bottle every couple of days as needed.

Since there are no drainage holes, take care not to overwater. A fine mist is all that’s needed for seed germination and new growth.

Seedling with cotyledons and first true leaves started in an eggshell

Step 4: Thin your seedlings.

Once all your seedlings have emerged, snip the weakest or smallest ones to allow the largest seedling room to grow.

Seedlings started in cracked eggshells

After your seedling develops its first set of true leaves (these are actually the second set of leaves to appear, after the cotyledons—learn more about seedling anatomy here), you can transplant the seedling into a larger container, or directly in your garden after a period of hardening them off.

Related: Leggy Seedlings: What Causes Them and How to Correct Them

To transplant, gently crush the shell with your fingers and remove a few shards around the bottom. You can plant the whole thing this way, and the eggshell will decompose in the soil, feeding extra nutrients to your seedling.

Tear apart the egg carton and toss it into your compost pile, or add it to your recycling bin.

Then… start your next batch of seeds with your next empty egg carton!

Yield: 12 seedling pots

How to Start Seeds in Eggshells

How to start seeds in eggshells, save money, and have fun

Learn how to start your seeds in eggshells! This easy DIY is a fun project that gives you a head start on gardening and gives the kids something crafty to do.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Active Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Difficulty Easy

Materials

  • 12 cracked eggshell halves
  • Empty paper egg carton
  • Seed starting mix, pre-moistened
  • Seeds

Tools

  • Medium-size spoon or mini trowel
  • Spray bottle of water

Instructions

  1. Rinse the cracked eggshells before using them. It's perfectly okay to use unevenly cracked shells, as long as you have at least half the shell intact.
  2. Arrange your eggshells in a paper egg carton. Using a spoon or mini trowel, fill each eggshell pot with pre-moistened seed starting mix.
  3. Place a couple of seeds in each "pot" according to your seed-sowing instructions.
  4. Leave the egg carton in a sunny south-facing window in the warmest room in your house.
  5. Lightly mist the soil with a spray bottle every couple of days as needed. Since there are no drainage holes, take care not to overwater. A fine mist is all that's needed for seed germination and new growth.
  6. Once all your seedlings have emerged, snip the weakest or smallest ones to allow the largest seedling room to grow.

Notes

Small seeds such as herbs and flowers work best. Don't try to tuck a bean or squash seed in there — the seedling will outgrow its eggshell "pot" too quickly.

Did you make this project?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

This post updated from an article that originally appeared on August 3, 2011.

View the Web Story on starting seeds in eggshells.

18 Comments

  1. Just started my egg shell garden! Curious to see the results in a couple of days! Thanks for the guidance!

    1. What did you plant specifically fruits , vegetables, herbs etc?? Demographically how’s your climate?
      Thanks so much

  2. brilliant. Liked the idea so much I ran down to the local garden center and got some neutral grow medium to start my seeds that are, hopefully, arriving today.

    I like the fact that you can gently crush the shells as you put the girls into the final medium. I’ve always been a bit nervous about the solo cup etc methods because I don’t want to shock my girls. Also as I bottom feed with an aquavalve system this gives me very good control of moisture for the first few weeks until the roots are strong enough to go hunting for food and water.

    Looking forward to this experiment.

  3. I use the paper egg carton instead of the shells. That works fine too. You need to place it on a tray, though, since it is not waterproof.

  4. The instructions state to use a paper carton. All we have are the styrofoam ones. Would that be okay, especially if I intend to poke drainage holes in the bottom of each she’ll?

    1. I want to try this & then using my dogs old kiddie pool since it has holes now not just for tomatoes etc I figure planting vegetables & fruits in the kiddie pool I could always move it just in case torrential downpour, intense sun &/or freeze ( wishful thinking this rarely happens here ) !! Any suggestions!! Thanks so much

  5. I added drainage holes to mine with a small nail I attached to a Popsicle stick using a rubber band -. It took all of 10 seconds to make and really worked well! Best to poke hole with a light tap from the inside going out!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. All fields are required.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.