Just for the Fun of It – Growing Grass in an Eggshell

There are times when you just have to try something for no reason other than that it would be fun to see how it turns out.

This was the case recently, when I boiled some eggs for egg salad sandwiches, and preserved the shells intact, so they could be used as little planters.

I cut the tops of as carefully as I could (although they still turned out jagged and a little cracked around the edge) and scooped the egg out using a tiny spoon. Then I poked a drainage hole in the bottom of each one with a pushpin, and placed them back into the egg carton. I filled each shell with a bit of regular potting soil and then dropped in some wheat grass seeds (aka cat grass). I pushed the seeds down a little with my finger but didn’t completely bury them, and watered them well. Then I placed the carton on a tray (because water can leak through the egg carton) near a window but in indirect sunlight.

It took exactly one week for the seeds to germinate and the grass to grow to the length in these first pictures (before the cat entered the scene). You might not think it is working at first because the seeds just seem to sit there for the longest time, and then suddenly you’ll notice little green spikes coming up. I checked them everyday to make sure the soil was moist throughout and watered a bit when it felt dry.

Once the grass begins to grow, it does so quite quickly. If it gets too long, just snip the ends with regular scissors. Kept trimmed, you grass eggshells should last about 5 days.

And of course, being egg related, if we’d had guests over for Easter dinner, these would add an interesting element to a centerpiece display on the table. If you start them about 9 days before they should be ready to display when you need them. Put them in some cute eggcups or if you want to display them in an egg carton use a fresh one, as the one used for growing the grass will probably be a bit dirty or worn looking.

The grass is ‘Cat Grass’ and is grown from seeds we got at the pet supply store. I have also found the seeds at garden centres.

And since this kind of grass is specifically for cats to eat, I let Eddie have a go. He loves the stuff and I keep two pots of it growing in rotation for him during the wintertime, when he can’t find grass outside.

To give you a feel for how quickly it gets growing once it starts, these pictures with Ed were taken a couple of days later. The grass grew more than an inch every 24 hours.

Doesn’t he look like a raccoon in this first shot?

Thank you kindly for visiting!
xo loulou

PS. I needed some instructions on how to hard-boil eggs without cracking the shells so perhaps you do too. Nick gave me some tips: Bring the water to a boil before carefully putting the eggs in. Use a slotted spoon, bob each egg in and out of the boiling water a few times, in order to get the egg used to the hot water. Then gently lower the egg into the water. Set your timer and boil for exactly 12 minutes. Remove from heat and run cold water over the cooked eggs. Perfect every time, or so I hear. It worked for me — I’m pretty sure this was the first time I’ve ever boiled eggs without having half of them cracked and escaping from their shells as they cooked.