Another successful sunrise work trip! This time I was focused on gathering sea shells (though, of course, I didn’t pass up any sea weed I came across).

The majority of instruction you find on farming mandates the use of animal products as if there is no other way. I haven’t found that to be true. A commitment to living a life of low impact & minimal harm mandates that I identify more sustainable means of cultivation. There is a plant-based solution for everything- often steeped in centuries of ancestral wisdom. 

As I am aligned with tenets of natural farming, seeking a local source of minerals for the soil was a no-brainer. Most farming/gardening “experts” will say that eggshells are the way to go. Since I don’t eat eggs nor do I desire to support that industry, this wasn’t an option for me. Lucky for me I live near the ocean which offers many gifts; namely loads of sea shells.

Sea shells are a composite material made mostly of calcium (like eggshells). When the shells break down, they offer those nutrients back to the Earth. 

Of course, it’s important to harvest sea shells lightly & only take shells which are uninhabited. I favor broken shells since they almost certainly no longer house any living creatures & I use a hammer to crush the shells anyway before putting them into the compost to aid decomposition.

We need only imitate Nature to discover the path to abundance. When sourced responsibly, sea shells can make a great addition to the soil. If you look closely in your (Florida) yard, you’re sure to find shells in the native sandy soil; reminding us of the days (~30 million years ago) when Florida was submerged beneath the ocean.