I have been reading up on using coffee grounds as a compost/fertilizer. I have read many different accounts of how much to use. Does anyone have first hand experience using coffee grounds?

I have used coffee grounds in gardens for decades. I have just dug holes in the ground and let them go to work in the soil, but most the time I add them to compost, either vegetable compost or vermicomosting.

Worms love coffee grounds, so if you dig them into your garden they become worm food.
If you compost it, then it breaks down fine.
If you vermicompost it, or feed it to composting worms, they will love you.

That said it would be possible to over do it. Coffee is acidic and if you have acidic soil already or you added all the local Starbuck's for years, you could end up with soil that would grow blueberries and other acid loving plats, but not much else. But that would be pretty extreme.

I add coffee grounds to my compost bins, both for my home garden and for our community garden. Not huge amounts though, just what I get from the coffee makers at work.


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Life without a garden just wouldn't be any fun at all.

We have also used coffee grounds for decades. (But I'm not telling you how very very many) We've used them in cold compost piles, dug them in when tilling rows, and in our hot composter. We have one of those handly little white ceramic compost buckets with a lid and charcoal filter right next to the sink, and all the little fun little composty things get tucked in there, then it gets taken out when full, rinsed, and refilled. A nice way to give back, and not get too ugly.

Bumblebeecottage

Just for the people who don't know. Starbucks will let you have their used coffee grounds free for gardening. I get about 10 pounds a week to add to my compost bin from them.

Try using them on your roses also they seem to love them. I put them in the garden when we are tilling.

We also have used Coffee Grounds for Many tears..not telling either.

They have always been an addition to our Composting System, and when our small town was blessed with the opening of a Coffee Specialty Kiosk, not Starbucks, I made arrangement to have their Grounds saved and I pick up twice weekly.

It is amazing how easy it is to develop a great composting system


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Chuck Bartok
www.2growtomatoes.info

What exactly do coffee grounds add to compost/soil (besides making the pH more acidic) that makes them such a desirable ingredient?


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Eco Organic Gardening at
http://www.OrganicGardeningZen.com

One thing that I have been reading is that coffee grounds are not as acidic as I once thought. The brewing makes them more neutral. So it isn't as big of concern for acidifying soil.

For nutritional purposes it is average to below average on what it adds to your soil. Not good like banana peels or cantaloupe, but better than oak leaves.

Nitrogen 1.45% -2.08% (UC Davis compared to U of Florida study)
Phosphorus not detectable - .32%
Potassium 1204 ug/g or .28%
Calcium 389 ug/g
Magnesium 448 ug/g

The real benefits to coffee grounds. They are already ground are ready-made for compost pile.

Worms seem to love coffee grounds.

Easy to get as there are too many coffee addicts in the world. Try getting a bag of banana peels. Much easy to go to a coffee house and get a free container of spent coffee grounds.

LOL! Thanks for that coffee ground overview! (laughed about trying to get a bag of banana peels...have you tried a smoothie joint?)


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Eco Organic Gardening at
http://www.OrganicGardeningZen.com

I have used grounds from coffee and tea for years. I have 2 compost piles alternate from year to year and compost through the winter. It all gets tilled in and I usually get things growing from my compost pile.