Sowing Seeds

Here is another use for egg shells. They are great for sowing seeds indoors.
First you empty the egg shells as described in previous posts by blowing out the egg. Then you gently open one end of the egg shell enough to enable you to spoon soil into the egg. Remember, open only one end. The other end will provide essential drainage later on.

Once you have spooned enough soil into the egg to fill it half way, water it. Let the excess water drain out of the bottom completely. Now if you see that the soil has compacted too far add more soil. Next add your seed. Make sure your seed is meant for sowing indoors. Also check the expiration date of the seed. Seeds can get old and as a result become less effective. The best time to sow indoor seeds are 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost. For Georgia this means around the first week of March.
Once you have added the seed you may fill the remaining space with soil and water again.

Dry the outside of the egg pod and write what kind of seed is in the egg on the out side with a sharpie marker. Now place the egg back into the carton cups. Make sure you use a cardboard carton because this will help with drainage plus the carton is biodegradable.

Cut the lid off the carton and wrap it with foil. Place the lid under the carton cups containing the eggs. The top will catch any run off after watering and the foil will help the soil warm from the bottom up.
Place the carton in a sunny spot and water everyday. Once the seed has sprouted you may want to use a spray bottle for watering purposes. The sprout will be tender and fragile.
When you are ready to plant just crinkle the bottom of the shell a little so the roots can grow through and plant the whole egg into your garden. The calcium in the shell is great for vegetable plants. You can even save some shells to place around your tender plants to help keep slugs and cut worms away.
Remember that the egg is so much more than just a meal. It’s true that you can make fabulous dishes with it but you can grow in it and make art out of it as well. This ends my three part series on the incredible edible egg!

The carton fell off the deck ~ The eggs cracked but the plants were fine.

Crape Myrtles

My husband and I went to dinner last night and made some new friends.
We had lively conversation, and eventually it turned to Crape Myrtles.
(Imagine that?)
The big question of the night was whether or not to commit "crape murder"
on Crape Myrtles.  Crape Myrtles don't have to be pruned; they will still
bloom. However, some people see their neighbors pruning them practically
to death so they follow suit. Other times, perhaps the plant has gotten
too big for the space.  Some pruning is good, just be careful not to prune
too drastically--you can’t glue it back on! You can however root them.
The first question is what kind of Crape Myrtle is it? Is it a tree-type
or a shrub-type?

If you have a tree type (7 to 15 ft.) make sure you cut all those
little shoots or suckers around and toward the bottom of the trunk.
Much like pruning an apple tree you should cut those branches that
cross in the center or grow toward the inside of the tree.  You want
to keep the branches that grow up and out. Then you’ll want to cut the
remaining branches down to where the diameter is about 1/4 inch
around.  Remember you want to create air movement and optimum sun light
in and around the tree.  Crape Myrtle trees bloom in white, light
pink, dark pink, lavender, purple and red.

If you have a shrub type (3 to 6 ft.) you can shape it as you’d like a
bit shorter than you’d want because it will fill in that space during
the summer months. Crape Myrtle shrubs come in white, pink, lavender and red.
Late winter or early spring is the proper time to prune.  Prune again
after the first flowers fade to help with the second bloom in
summer.You can use 5-10-5 fertilizer in the spring but they are tough
plants so don’t kill them with kindness. They are a lot like Greta
Garbo. “They vont to be left alone”.