How to use Coffee grinds - Page 2

COMPOSTER · June 5, 2015

I'm lucky I drive right by a Starbucks on my way to and from work every day. They usually have a bag ready to be picked up. I probably get 150-200lbs per week. Seems like the more I pick them up the more they have them available Great program!

I like to mix them with ramial wood chip mulch and mulch my perennial beds in the fall with the mixture. The beds and the plants have improved nicely. I also like to mix them with leaves and compost them.

Tracydr · July 2, 2015

Since my worms have been depressed with the heat, I've just been throwing everything including grounds into a container that I throw in the chicken pen. I figure they'll pick through for all the veggie scraps and melon bits. I'll start raking up the scraps and shavings and take them out to the garden. Let the pile heat up a little if it needs to, sit a few weeks, then right into the garden.

noinwi · August 25, 2015

I don't have a compost pile, but I do toss my used grounds and filters(paper basket type) in a covered bucket in the kitchen. I dumped one full bucket into the bottom of one of my raised beds when building it. It had been sitting for months but the filters where not breaking down at all. Will that only happen in a compost pile or buried with soil? I was going to dump some more on top of one of the beds this fall before covering it with black plastic(to keep it from becoming a litter box over the winter). Would that work or do I have to mix it in with the soil to get the paper to break down? Sorry if these are dumb questions but I don't have much composting experience.

rhines81 · August 25, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by noinwi

I don't have a compost pile, but I do toss my used grounds and filters(paper basket type) in a covered bucket in the kitchen. I dumped one full bucket into the bottom of one of my raised beds when building it. It had been sitting for months but the filters where not breaking down at all. Will that only happen in a compost pile or buried with soil? I was going to dump some more on top of one of the beds this fall before covering it with black plastic(to keep it from becoming a litter box over the winter). Would that work or do I have to mix it in with the soil to get the paper to break down? Sorry if these are dumb questions but I don't have much composting experience.

Mix it in with your soil, soak it good and then cover it. The filters will decompose within a month or so.

noinwi · August 25, 2015

Thank you!

imp · August 25, 2015

I've composted the grounds, and used them mixed into the soil as I planted and just when I turned the soil, plus have side dresed with them a bit. Do not place them too thickly as they will compact and shed water, LOL.

And the worms DO love them, I always imagine the worms with itzy bitzy coffee cups, and a coffee bar. But them they'd have to have arms and hands and.....

Oh well.

Coffee grounds and paper/shredded cardboard- a worm's delight meal!

ScottinAtlanta · August 25, 2015

I have a compost pile. Browns are chipped branches and leaves from my yard - greens are coffee grounds, about 20 gallons a month. When I mix the grounds with the browns, and add water (most compost piles are too dry), I get an immediate reaction. Within 24 hours, I cannot push my hand into the pile due to the heat. The heat slowly dissipates after a week, and the worms begin to move in. Within four weeks, I am getting dark crumbly soil, with the larger wood bits slowly disappearing. In 8 weeks, it is ready to use.

rwsacto · August 26, 2015

I am a second generation coffee ground user and bulk grounds are great for the worm bin or compost, but I must add a warning: Fresh coffee grounds can be deadly to a dog. They cannot metabolize the caffeine.

A year ago, I brought home a bag of grounds from SB and left them in a wheelbarrow to handle later. Our 50 lb. lab got into the bag. Fortunately our daughter raised the alarm that the dog was panting heavily and smelled like a double espresso. The vet said it was an emergency, we brought her in and she received two intravenous drips until midnight to flush her system. Everyone, including the dog, was mad at me for some time. I won't be caught again with bulk coffee grounds in the yard.

Please use care,

Rick

June 5, 2015	#16
COMPOSTER Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Connecticut Posts: 252	I'm lucky I drive right by a Starbucks on my way to and from work every day. They usually have a bag ready to be picked up. I probably get 150-200lbs per week. Seems like the more I pick them up the more they have them available Great program! I like to mix them with ramial wood chip mulch and mulch my perennial beds in the fall with the mixture. The beds and the plants have improved nicely. I also like to mix them with leaves and compost them.

July 2, 2015	#17
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	Since my worms have been depressed with the heat, I've just been throwing everything including grounds into a container that I throw in the chicken pen. I figure they'll pick through for all the veggie scraps and melon bits. I'll start raking up the scraps and shavings and take them out to the garden. Let the pile heat up a little if it needs to, sit a few weeks, then right into the garden.

August 25, 2015	#18
noinwi Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: PNW Posts: 486	I don't have a compost pile, but I do toss my used grounds and filters(paper basket type) in a covered bucket in the kitchen. I dumped one full bucket into the bottom of one of my raised beds when building it. It had been sitting for months but the filters where not breaking down at all. Will that only happen in a compost pile or buried with soil? I was going to dump some more on top of one of the beds this fall before covering it with black plastic(to keep it from becoming a litter box over the winter). Would that work or do I have to mix it in with the soil to get the paper to break down? Sorry if these are dumb questions but I don't have much composting experience.

August 25, 2015	#21
imp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Wichita Falls, Texas Posts: 4,832	I've composted the grounds, and used them mixed into the soil as I planted and just when I turned the soil, plus have side dresed with them a bit. Do not place them too thickly as they will compact and shed water, LOL. And the worms DO love them, I always imagine the worms with itzy bitzy coffee cups, and a coffee bar. But them they'd have to have arms and hands and..... Oh well. Coffee grounds and paper/shredded cardboard- a worm's delight meal!

August 25, 2015	#22
ScottinAtlanta Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 2,593	I have a compost pile. Browns are chipped branches and leaves from my yard - greens are coffee grounds, about 20 gallons a month. When I mix the grounds with the browns, and add water (most compost piles are too dry), I get an immediate reaction. Within 24 hours, I cannot push my hand into the pile due to the heat. The heat slowly dissipates after a week, and the worms begin to move in. Within four weeks, I am getting dark crumbly soil, with the larger wood bits slowly disappearing. In 8 weeks, it is ready to use.

August 26, 2015	#23
rwsacto Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Sacramento CA Posts: 288	I am a second generation coffee ground user and bulk grounds are great for the worm bin or compost, but I must add a warning: Fresh coffee grounds can be deadly to a dog. They cannot metabolize the caffeine. A year ago, I brought home a bag of grounds from SB and left them in a wheelbarrow to handle later. Our 50 lb. lab got into the bag. Fortunately our daughter raised the alarm that the dog was panting heavily and smelled like a double espresso. The vet said it was an emergency, we brought her in and she received two intravenous drips until midnight to flush her system. Everyone, including the dog, was mad at me for some time. I won't be caught again with bulk coffee grounds in the yard. Please use care, Rick