| There are lots of uses of seashells in the garden. A bunch of large half-shells, like scallops and surf clams, make an attractive mulch, and don't leach too much calcium into the soil. Place them upside down, and they do a good job of suppressing weeds without keeping moisture out. Crushed shells shouldn't be used as mulch, unless the soil is extremely acid, in which case crushed shells will sweeten it up a good deal. Be careful with shell pathways in your garden, though. Unless you know you need to be liming your soil, they will easily over-sweeten adjacent soil. Another interesting use for seashells is as a decorative veneer on just about anything. A modern version of "tabby," the ancient blend of lime, sand and shells as a building material, can be made with quick set mortar covered with crushed shells. You'd be amazed at how nice a concrete block can look when it's coated with such. Another hardscape material that I gather nearby is beach gravel. It's nicely polished by tide and sand, and, once the salt is washed off, has lots of uses. |
