Using used coffee grounds in your garden/compost
I have wanted to leverage used coffee grounds in my garden/compost but not being a coffee drinker myself I never seemed to be able to have the right timing to find any at local coffee shops. Recently a colleague taunted me with a picture from his cell phone of a few bags in the coffee shop in our cafeteria at work and my quest began.
After just two days I have accumulated 40 lbs of coffee grounds, now how can I use this stuff in my garden?
- Throw it in your compost: Coffee grounds are 1.45% nitrogen and contain calcium and magnesium to add some trace minerals you may not get from your other organic material. Coffee grounds are a green material (I know coffee is brown, but same idea as grass clippings) so you should add with at least equal amounts of brown material (leaves) but if you are like me my browns are way to high already.
- Add it directly to your garden: I have seen some arguments that coffee grounds are acidic, but others claim it loses most (or all) of its acidity during the brewing process. Due to my natural curiosity I need to know the answer. So the answer is, it has an average pH of 6.9 so for all intents and purposes, it is neutral. Though if you are really tired and forget to brew it, it will be somewhat acidic.
- Fertilizer: Sometimes your plants need a little boost in the morning as well. Simply add a couple cups of coffee grounds to a bucket of water and let it seep for 24 hours and apply to plant in the same way you would compost tea. Using gardener terms I can’t think of any better name for this as “coffee tea” If you are busy/lazy you also can use it as a side dressing on top of your soil and let the rain seep it for you.
- Annoy your pests to stay out of your garden: It has been said that coffee grounds can deter cats from using your garden as their own personal commode. There are also reports that it can deter slugs as well. I am not sure if it is the abrasive soil effect on their sensitive underside or just the cruel reality that with their slow pace they can’t do anything with the caffeine rush they get. Coffee grounds may annoy ants to convince them to move their home elsewhere.
- Feed your worms: To worms this stuff is like ice cream, if you listen carefully you may hear them cheer your name when you add a handful to your worm bin when your greens from the kitchen may be a little lacking.
According to Starbucks brochure I picked up on my last visit, you should use the coffee grounds within 3 weeks to get the most nutrient value, though if you are composting I am sure you can start out the process in the bag if you really want to. Given that 16.34 billion pounds of coffee is produced each year there is plenty for you to save from ending up in a landfill. This is a great way to help the environment while also adding value to your garden without affecting your pocketbook.
Related posts:
- Finish outdoor seed planting with coffee grounds
- Growing seedlings with compostable coffee cups
- Make your Garden/Lawn into a gigantic worm bin
- Something is coming out of my compost bin!! – Update
- Compost bin tomato bears fruit
Tags: cheap, coffee grounds, compost, organic vegetables, outdoor plants, worms
January 14th, 2009 at 9:47 PM
After a lifetime of avoiding the Seattle city near-mandatory brew, I caved and am now a morning addict. Having a baby and stopping being able to sleep will do that to a person sometimes! Anyway, I have been giving all my compost stuff to the city and need to get my own bin back in shape so I can stop paying for compost at the garden center. You are inspiring me!
January 15th, 2009 at 1:51 AM
It’s great stuff – potatoes love it + slugs hate it = result!
January 15th, 2009 at 5:14 AM
A couple of years ago I got coffee grounds every week from Starbucks. Sadly they don’t save it for me anymore. However my husband is getting annoyed at how ungreen his workplace is. So he is thinking of getting all the coffee grounds and tea bags for me, to keep them out of the landfill. Yeah! Free fertilizer can’t be beat.
January 15th, 2009 at 8:04 AM
We’re avid coffee drinkers here at Chiot’s Run, so we have a decent supply for our compost bin (we also put around the blueberries, they LOVE it). I suppose I could get my local shop to save them for me as well. Can’t beat FREE stuff for the garden!
January 16th, 2009 at 12:07 AM
I have been a starbucks composter for a while now. I am also know to mic it up in a flower pot and plant things in it. Can’t get enough of the stuff. If i am always wired, why not pass it on to my garden?
January 17th, 2009 at 9:29 AM
Karen, great thing about the coffee it starts out looking like finished compost and you can add directly to your garden. At the rate I am going probably won’t be buying any soil amendments this yearVP, I can use all the help with slugs I can getDaphne, I know people who simply leave an old coffee can (labeled) by the coffee maker. After a couple days have a full can of grounds. Think the fact that can is probably closer than garbage can so natural laziness wins.Chiot’s Run, my original thought was to use them for my blueberries until I learned they lose their acidity. Seems there might still be something left in them for the plants.Robj98168, do you grow with 100% coffee grounds or do you have a secret recipe.
January 19th, 2009 at 6:32 AM
I save my coffee grounds for my garden too, but in the winter I usually do not want to trudge out to the garden to spread out the grounds, so I save them in a container. I soon found out that they get moldy quickly-what to do? Well I solved this problem by first keeping them in a old yogurt strainer (a fine mesh bag) that allows the ground to dry out. Then I transfer to a bigger container, and once a month or so, I can take them out to the garden,
January 19th, 2009 at 8:30 PM
They also smell much better than steer/chicken poo
March 18th, 2009 at 7:43 AM
Hey-this is really great! I run a small coffee shop in my home town and I’m looking for info to print out on this very subject – do you mind if I use your research to promote the grounds? I have bags and bags and need to get rid of them. My email is alisonmothes@gmail.com if you just want to check in about it. Thanks so much!
January 6th, 2010 at 3:18 PM
I need help with my research project on coffee grinds being added to soil to help plants grow faster.
I need a few questions answered…
Does coffee(caffeine) help plants to grow faster?
Is it best to add the coffee into the soil or other ways?
Do many people use coffee and other forms of caffeine to spark a plant growth?
Do you think it is a good idea to add coffee or just use regualr soil?
How long do you think it is before I will see noticable changes in the plants exposed with coffee?
Also what are your job responsibilites?
Is education neccessary?
May 26th, 2010 at 7:10 AM
for all intensive purposes! Good one. I collect malapropisms.
May 26th, 2010 at 9:32 AM
Ah, can’t believe I did that…fixed with the correct “for all intents and purposes” at least it is a “Common” misuse of the english language..Common Errors in English Usage 2nd Edition
June 9th, 2010 at 3:21 AM
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June 13th, 2010 at 9:33 AM
gonna try that around strawberries…the slugs have been destroying them these past couple of years . thanks for the advice
June 14th, 2010 at 10:07 PM
cfield farmer, you might want to try egg shells as well
June 17th, 2010 at 1:49 PM
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