I'm Cracking Up

Easter preparations are underway at my house and I’m trying something new this year—real live grass growing in eggshells to decorate our Easter table. 

I’ve been saving eggshells all week and it is full steam ahead! I bought grass seed and potting soil and got to work yesterday afternoon. There really isn’t much to it, but here is what I have learned so far (keep in mind I’m only a few hours into this little experiment of mine):

To break the egg, tap it on the top with a knife until there is a small crack, then remove the eggshell with your fingers a few pieces at a time so you get the shape you want. I showed Bryan my technique over the weekend and asked him to crack all eggs like that until I get enough for my Easter table. After he realized I was totally serious he assured me he would not be participating in this little project of mine.

When filling with soil, try to keep the outside of the eggshell as clean as possible. I kept one hand as my “clean” hand and the other one was the “dirty” hand. You can wipe the dirt off, but these are eggshells, people. They’re fragile!

I don’t have any good advice about sprinkling the grass seed. Just sprinkle it. I’m not sure how long the grass will take to grow, and I’m worried I’m a little too late, so I went pretty heavy on the seed. Besides, the bag I bought is enough to re-seed 1,200 square feet of lawn (the equivalent of half a tennis court, according to the bag), so I had plenty.

I did decide the best way to water these little things will be with a spray bottle. The goal is to keep the soil moist, but there is no drainage and I'm not about to try poking a hole in the bottoms of the shells.  

Unfortunately, we have less than two weeks until Easter, so let’s hope my little grass seeds start sprouting soon! I’ll let you know how it goes!