seafood feast for the soil

We had our first big feast of mussels last week.  Delectable morsels of goodness, dipped in garlic butter - they are as habit forming as potato chips. 

After dinner, I wanted to keep the good vibes going by making use of the shells. 

I spread them on cookie sheets, and baked them for 20 minutes to take care of some of the odor that results from the decomposition of the little muscle that holds the mussel in the shell.  The heat also makes them easier to smash.

Then I put the shells in a sturdy bag and banged it with a hammer until the shells were in bits.

Now what to do?  they still smelled a bit, and I was afraid to spread them directly on my veggie garden for fear of attracting skunks and raccoons.  So I checked my old friend the Internet, and found this entry from The Washington Post:

The exoskeletons of crabs, lobsters, shrimp, crayfish and insects contain chitin, a slow-release source of the nitrogen plants need. Because it doesn’t leach out of the soil, it doesn’t pollute waterways the way soluble nitrogen fertilizers do.
When crustacean shells are added to the soil, they stimulate and increase populations of chitin-devouring bacteria and fungi. Once they decompose the shells, they devour certain chitinous pests, most notably root-knot nematodes, which can lead to poor yields in some crops.
The shells also contain calcium carbonate, the key ingredient in garden lime. Calcium raises the pH of the soil in areas that are too acidic.
Shellfish meal can be added, raked in or tilled just before planting, but whole crustacean shells are best chopped up, turned under and allowed to mellow in the soil for a month or more. Leaving them on the soil surface is a bad idea. They attract flocks of sea gulls and raccoons.
A better idea: put all of the shells on the compost pile. Burying them with a garden fork will not only hide them from birds but also set the heap to “bake,” cooking up the best compost you’ve ever made.

I have decided to add it to the compost bin, stir it around, and let it mellow.