Homemade shrimp meal

chancethegardener · July 9, 2012

After boiling 2 lbs of fresh shrimp, I decided to oven-dry the shells and legs. Then, I ground them. Result was 2 oz. of fertilizer (not much but enough to feed one tomato plant). Down to Earth Shrimp meal of which NPK ratios are 6-6-0. Shrimp meal is really strong in terms of P. Anybody used shrimp meal before?
Besides compost, what other homemade meals do you guys use for immediate fertilizing?

meadowyck · July 9, 2012

now why didn't I think of using them as we ate shrimp tonight as well. Well gosh, I don't think anymore shells will go bye bye. LOL Good eatin those shrimp are, my favorite food of all time, next to maryland crabs.

bower · July 10, 2012

Shrimp meal is much esteemed as a fertilizer in our area. Not only it fertilizes, but the research station here found that it also reduced or prevented potato scab - an endemic condition in much of the farmland here. So it is commercially available and a very good choice especially for potatoes.

For eating, I usually get shrimp with just the tail shell still on. These tails go into the compost, so it's not surprising that I've had good potatoes that volunteered from a peeling in the pile.

That was a great idea, though, to dry in the oven and then crush em.. I may try it.

chancethegardener · July 10, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by bower

Shrimp meal is much esteemed as a fertilizer in our area. Not only it fertilizes, but the research station here found that it also reduced or prevented potato scab - an endemic condition in much of the farmland here. So it is commercially available and a very good choice especially for potatoes.

For eating, I usually get shrimp with just the tail shell still on. These tails go into the compost, so it's not surprising that I've had good potatoes that volunteered from a peeling in the pile.

That was a great idea, though, to dry in the oven and then crush em.. I may try it.

I think that the disease prevention is related to chitin that shrimp shell has. It is interesting that you said shrimp meal helped with potato production because as far as I know potatoes need K more than they need N and P, and shrimp meal doesn't have K in it. I wonder what parameter in shrimp meal helped with potatoes.

meadowyck · July 11, 2012

Yes interesting note on the potatoes.

salix · July 11, 2012

Probably a silly question, but do you use the cooled water used for boiling the shrimp to water any part of your garden?

chancethegardener · July 11, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by salix

Probably a silly question, but do you use the cooled water used for boiling the shrimp to water any part of your garden?

Never tried that. Do you think leftover juice would be beneficial?

Mojave · July 11, 2012

Seems it might get the intrest of the local critters.

BarbJ · July 11, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mojave

Seems it might get the intrest of the local critters.

Funny you should mention this. Years ago I planted about a dozen determinate paste Milano plum tomatoes and it happened that the night before we had a shrimp feed and I had a big 'ol pile of shrimp shells.
Not wanting to waste them, I put about a 1/4 cup into deep holes next to each tomato plant. I had the most prolific crop of tomatoes ever! I gave tons away, made sauce and froze the rest.

The next year I tried the same thing but somehow a local critter must have moved in the neighborhood in the meantime. Next morning something dug up every single shrimp shell next to every tomato plant! Must have been a raccoon cause the holes were very neat and the plants undisturbed for the most part. That year they made due with store bought fertilizer, but alas, the production was just not the same.

But yeah, shrimp shells are awesome tomato food!

janezee · July 11, 2012

Although I don't eat much shrimp, I do catch and eat a fair amount of Dungeness crab. I have been saving the shells and guts in a covered bucket to see if I can get something that will benefit my garden.

Well, it does, but not in the way I expected. The stench from the bucket, when it's just sitting out there in the sun, is enough to keep the deer out of my garden. They can't smell a predator, so they give my garden a wide berth.

Unfortunately, if I open the bucket, every dog in the county wants to come and dig in it.

So, I don't know if it would benefit the tomatoes directly, because I'm afraid that I'd only have holes and dead plants.

I think that the shells from my next one, (hopefully tomorrow) will go in the oven and blender. Will report if that happens.

j

chancethegardener · July 11, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by janezee

Although I don't eat much shrimp, I do catch and eat a fair amount of Dungeness crab. I have been saving the shells and guts in a covered bucket to see if I can get something that will benefit my garden.

Well, it does, but not in the way I expected. The stench from the bucket, when it's just sitting out there in the sun, is enough to keep the deer out of my garden. They can't smell a predator, so they give my garden a wide berth.

Unfortunately, if I open the bucket, every dog in the county wants to come and dig in it.

So, I don't know if it would benefit the tomatoes directly, because I'm afraid that I'd only have holes and dead plants.

I think that the shells from my next one, (hopefully tomorrow) will go in the oven and blender. Will report if that happens.

j

Crab meal (referring to shells here) is definitely the perfect meal for tomatoes. High in Ca and Mg, and quite nutritious with chitin in it.

nativeplanter · July 11, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by chancethegardener

Crab meal (referring to shells here) is definitely the perfect meal for tomatoes. High in Ca and Mg, and quite nutritious with chitin in it.

How would one go about making crab meal? We have access to lots of crabs here. I imagine it would be similar to shrimp, but how do you pulverize the thicker shells?

Skaggydog · July 11, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by janezee

...fair amount of Dungeness crab. I have been saving the shells and guts in a covered bucket ...
So, I don't know if it would benefit the tomatoes directly, because I'm afraid that I'd only have holes and dead plants...
j

Throw some dirt on it. Compost happens.

chancethegardener · July 11, 2012

Crab shells are also commercially available. I have been using Neptune's Harvest product and am very happy with it.

July 9, 2012	#2
meadowyck Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: Brooksville, FL Posts: 1,001	now why didn't I think of using them as we ate shrimp tonight as well. Well gosh, I don't think anymore shells will go bye bye. LOL Good eatin those shrimp are, my favorite food of all time, next to maryland crabs. __________________ Jan “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” -Theodore Roosevelt

July 11, 2012	#5
meadowyck Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: Brooksville, FL Posts: 1,001	Yes interesting note on the potatoes. __________________ Jan “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” -Theodore Roosevelt

July 11, 2012	#8
Mojave Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: SF Bay area Z9a Posts: 821	Seems it might get the intrest of the local critters. __________________ Bill _______________________________________________ When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe. -John Muir Believe those who seek the Truth: Doubt those who find it. -André Gide

July 10, 2012	#3
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	Shrimp meal is much esteemed as a fertilizer in our area. Not only it fertilizes, but the research station here found that it also reduced or prevented potato scab - an endemic condition in much of the farmland here. So it is commercially available and a very good choice especially for potatoes. For eating, I usually get shrimp with just the tail shell still on. These tails go into the compost, so it's not surprising that I've had good potatoes that volunteered from a peeling in the pile. That was a great idea, though, to dry in the oven and then crush em.. I may try it.

July 11, 2012	#6
salix Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: north central B.C. Posts: 2,310	Probably a silly question, but do you use the cooled water used for boiling the shrimp to water any part of your garden?

July 11, 2012	#10
janezee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Whidbey Island, WA Zone 7, Sunset 5 Posts: 931	Although I don't eat much shrimp, I do catch and eat a fair amount of Dungeness crab. I have been saving the shells and guts in a covered bucket to see if I can get something that will benefit my garden. Well, it does, but not in the way I expected. The stench from the bucket, when it's just sitting out there in the sun, is enough to keep the deer out of my garden. They can't smell a predator, so they give my garden a wide berth. Unfortunately, if I open the bucket, every dog in the county wants to come and dig in it. So, I don't know if it would benefit the tomatoes directly, because I'm afraid that I'd only have holes and dead plants. I think that the shells from my next one, (hopefully tomorrow) will go in the oven and blender. Will report if that happens. j

July 11, 2012	#14
chancethegardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: WV Posts: 604	Crab shells are also commercially available. I have been using Neptune's Harvest product and am very happy with it.