Bed prep

creister · March 10, 2015

I have yet to get most of my beds prepped and will plant out this weekend. I had originally planned to do it two or three weeks earlier, but weather didn't allow me to do that.

My beds are 50 sq. feet. I have a cover crop of hairy vetch that I will cut and lay down cover it with compost and some corn meal, shredded leaves and shredded tree trimmings on top. I will amend each planting hole. I use no till and didn't fertilize after last year.

My question is this, I was going to also layer in copious amounts of coffee grounds either between the leaves and soil, or between the leaves and tree trimmings. At this late stage, should I even put in coffee grounds? I am worried about excess nitrogen and getting big green leafy plants with no tomatoes. Or will the breakdown and release of nutrients be slow enough to feed but not over feed?

4season · March 12, 2015

I think it will be OK since it is an organic source that takes a while to break down. I just put down a mix of coffee chaff, coffee grounds and half broken down shredded leaf compost. I will give it 2 weeks or 3 before I plant.

drew51 · March 12, 2015

You always need to balance green and brown, if you have no other sources of nitrogen, best lay the coffee down, the leaves breaking down will soak it up, I doubt much will be available till it all breaks down. Tomatoes are pretty heavy feeders in my experience.
Compost alone is not really a fertilizer, more a soil amendment. I always add organic fertilizer to compost. So adding coffee grounds is adding organic fertilizer. I myself would add more anyway. Not like coffee is a super source of nitrogen.

Worth1 · March 12, 2015

If you have worms in your garden they will love the coffee grounds and leaves.

Worth

Stvrob · March 12, 2015

I was curious how much nitrogen is actually in coffee grounds. Googling it, there are many sources that suggest about 2% nitrogen by volume. For what its worth.

creister · March 12, 2015

I went ahead and put the compost on top of the cut vetch, then put leaves, then coffee grounds, and then shredded tree trimming on top. I layered it green - brown, and the coffee grounds were stirred in with the leaves to some extent, so I think this will work out fine. Much like planting in a new lasagna bed, or planting around the edge of a compost pile.

ScottinAtlanta · March 12, 2015

All I know is that coffee grounds rapidly heat up the shredded leaves, indicating a high nitrogen level. And, unlike green clippings, coffee grounds keep a big pile hot for two weeks or more.

March 10, 2015	#1
creister Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Abilene, TX zone 7 Posts: 1,478	Bed prep I have yet to get most of my beds prepped and will plant out this weekend. I had originally planned to do it two or three weeks earlier, but weather didn't allow me to do that. My beds are 50 sq. feet. I have a cover crop of hairy vetch that I will cut and lay down cover it with compost and some corn meal, shredded leaves and shredded tree trimmings on top. I will amend each planting hole. I use no till and didn't fertilize after last year. My question is this, I was going to also layer in copious amounts of coffee grounds either between the leaves and soil, or between the leaves and tree trimmings. At this late stage, should I even put in coffee grounds? I am worried about excess nitrogen and getting big green leafy plants with no tomatoes. Or will the breakdown and release of nutrients be slow enough to feed but not over feed?

March 12, 2015	#2
4season Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: albuquerque Posts: 308	I think it will be OK since it is an organic source that takes a while to break down. I just put down a mix of coffee chaff, coffee grounds and half broken down shredded leaf compost. I will give it 2 weeks or 3 before I plant.

March 12, 2015	#3
drew51 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Sterling Heights, MI Zone 6a/5b Posts: 1,302	You always need to balance green and brown, if you have no other sources of nitrogen, best lay the coffee down, the leaves breaking down will soak it up, I doubt much will be available till it all breaks down. Tomatoes are pretty heavy feeders in my experience. Compost alone is not really a fertilizer, more a soil amendment. I always add organic fertilizer to compost. So adding coffee grounds is adding organic fertilizer. I myself would add more anyway. Not like coffee is a super source of nitrogen.

March 12, 2015	#4
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	If you have worms in your garden they will love the coffee grounds and leaves. Worth

March 12, 2015	#5
Stvrob Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 1,413	I was curious how much nitrogen is actually in coffee grounds. Googling it, there are many sources that suggest about 2% nitrogen by volume. For what its worth.

March 12, 2015	#7
ScottinAtlanta Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 2,593	All I know is that coffee grounds rapidly heat up the shredded leaves, indicating a high nitrogen level. And, unlike green clippings, coffee grounds keep a big pile hot for two weeks or more.