Coffee Grounds in the Garden?

mms · April 7, 2006

Hello all,
I was watching one of those gardening shows on DIY last night, it was a brand new show called "The Dirt on Gardening". They gave a few tips on gardening, nothing revolutionary or new, but still entertaining. They showed a few people talking about their gardens and one guy said that his soil is a rich black color because he gets coffee grounds from a local coffee shop and adds them to his garden.

I know that this is not a shortcut to having rich black soil, my soil has been a project in the works for thirty plus years turning Indiana clay into a great garden that still has a few too many rocks.

I know that you can put coffee grounds into your compost pile, but what would massive amounts do to/for the garden besides keep the Tomato plants awake at night?

MMS

Dunkel · April 7, 2006

Coffee grounds are an excellent amendment. Opinions vary on whether coffee grounds are acidic. Some say they are neutral, while others say they are slightly acidic. I save all the grounds from my home brewings and add them to the pile. I wouldn't hesitate to add them to the garden. As long as you aren't dumping a 5 gallon bucket into a 3' X 6' bed I think they are beneficial. Just my opinon.

Rena · April 7, 2006

Starbucks has a program called grounds to garden. When you walk in the door is a barrel and it has HUGE bags of grounds bagged up and ready to go. They even have a label that says Free Grounds for Gardens. I was so happy yesterday I got 4 bags!!! These bags are gallon size. I would bring a extra bag to put in the truck as they do leak. You can call in advance to see if they have any. Good luck

DonnaMarieNJ · April 7, 2006

What amount of coffee grinds should you use and how often? Weekly? Once a season? And when?

I missed this show.

mms · April 7, 2006

The program that I watched was on again this afternoon and I did a search on my Tivo to see if it would be on again, and it will be tommorow (Saturday the 8th) at 6:00 p.m. on DIY. It is called "The Dirt on Gardening".

The part about coffee grounds was just a little short segment about 30 seconds long but as I said earlier the show was interesting. The most interesting part was about a resteraunt in California (I think) that grows all of their own vegetables and what is ripe in the garden dictates what is on the menu. There was also a segment about how to select the best plants when buying. I did learn a couple of things from this and I'm very picky when buying plants.

I really didn't think that coffee grounds would hurt the garden, I just didn't know if it would be any better than any other compostable material. The guy on the show apparantly put LOTS of grounds in his garden and it didn't look that big.

I don't have a Starbucks nearby (yes there are places where they are not on every corner) but there are a couple of coffee shops in the area. Maybe I will see if they have a similar program, or will start one.

Thanks all,
MMS

giardiniere · April 7, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by IMISSCOLO

Starbucks has a program called grounds to garden. When you walk in the door is a barrel and it has HUGE bags of grounds bagged up and ready to go. They even have a label that says Free Grounds for Gardens. I was so happy yesterday I got 4 bags!!! These bags are gallon size. I would bring a extra bag to put in the truck as they do leak. You can call in advance to see if they have any. Good luck

I pick up a few bags every time I go in our Starbucks. It is really convenient. I put some directly in the garden, and some in the compost. Whatever strikes my fancy that day.

creister · April 12, 2006

I used them on my rose bushes last year, just sprinkled it on and they really liked it. I also dumped several pounds on the garden last year before planting and saw no ill effects. The only thing you need to watch is how thick you put them down, as they will crust and repel water. Thin layers work great, or just kind of stir them with a pitch fork or shovel. I think I've read any where from 20 to 40 lbs/1000 sq. ft.

Cecilia_MD7a · April 12, 2006

I'm known as the Crazy Coffee Grounds Lady at work - I collect the stuff from the coffeemaker each day. Most of it goes into my compost bins, but I have thrown it onto the tomato patch occasionally, with no ill effect.

Although coffee grounds are brown in color, in the compost bin, they're considered a weak "green." This means that if you use them directly in the garden, they are a mild nitrogen-based fertilizer.

Adenn1 · April 13, 2006

All of my home brewing goes right into my lasagna beds..grounds and filters. I cover them with ground leaves and grass clippings. The worms love the stuff and I believe it has really helped. When I started the lasagna beds, I used a great deal of coffee grounds from Starbucks...I suspect I collected a few hundred pounds over several months...

Althea · April 14, 2006

I sprinkle brewed coffee ground in the garden, primarily around the rose bushes, not for their N value but because they are considered gourmet food by worms. Practically nothing is better for plants than worm casings. Once I sprinkled the lawn liberally with coffee grounds acquired from a local coffee shop specifically to encourage worms to aerate the lawn. It worked wonderfully. I mostly add the grounds to the compost.

paxpuella · June 17, 2006

Sorry about bringing up an old post, but I have a question about coffee grounds and was searching. I love the fact that Starbucks is offering this program and will check in the town I work in to see if they are participating in it.

I don't drink coffee and neither does my husband. My question is if I can't find used coffee grounds at the Starbucks store, can I buy a can of cheap coffee and spread it out among my plants without it being used? I hope I stated that question so it made sense.

I would love to have a garden that looked fantastic and flourished. This is my first year to have a garden that is fairly good sized besides my little row of tomato plants the last couple of years. I'm still learning a lot.

I have brandywine, cherry and another type of tomato planted something girl (the name escapes me at the moment) and also some bell peppers planted. Would coffee grounds be good for them since I've heard it is for acid loving plants?

Thanks for any help.

QAGuy · June 17, 2006

I'm not sure that buying fresh coffee would be a cost effective way to add organic matter to your garden.

Coffee ain't exactly cheap for the amout of matter you will get. I would think soil amendment would be a better deal.

You've probably got an Early Girl.

timcunningham · June 17, 2006

qaguy,

dedpends where you get them. My office throws away about 4 cups of grounds a day. I don't buy them, my boss does.

QAGuy · June 17, 2006

Well, I meant that comment for paxpuella who was talking about
going out and buying coffee just to throw in the garden.

I get a pound or so from work daily myself.

DennisinPa · June 17, 2006

I have used coffee grounds and filters from our home in the compost pile for several years with good results

April 7, 2006	#1
mms Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Indiana - 6B Posts: 36	Coffee Grounds in the Garden? Hello all, I was watching one of those gardening shows on DIY last night, it was a brand new show called "The Dirt on Gardening". They gave a few tips on gardening, nothing revolutionary or new, but still entertaining. They showed a few people talking about their gardens and one guy said that his soil is a rich black color because he gets coffee grounds from a local coffee shop and adds them to his garden. I know that this is not a shortcut to having rich black soil, my soil has been a project in the works for thirty plus years turning Indiana clay into a great garden that still has a few too many rocks. I know that you can put coffee grounds into your compost pile, but what would massive amounts do to/for the garden besides keep the Tomato plants awake at night? MMS __________________ THE MAN'S PRAYER I am a man, but I can change, if I have to.... I guess.

April 7, 2006	#2
Dunkel Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: West By God Virginia Posts: 245	Coffee grounds are an excellent amendment. Opinions vary on whether coffee grounds are acidic. Some say they are neutral, while others say they are slightly acidic. I save all the grounds from my home brewings and add them to the pile. I wouldn't hesitate to add them to the garden. As long as you aren't dumping a 5 gallon bucket into a 3' X 6' bed I think they are beneficial. Just my opinon. __________________ I plant... Therefore I am. - Dunkel What the country needs is dirtier fingernails and cleaner minds. - Will Rogers

April 7, 2006	#5
mms Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Indiana - 6B Posts: 36	Coffee Grounds in the Garden The program that I watched was on again this afternoon and I did a search on my Tivo to see if it would be on again, and it will be tommorow (Saturday the 8th) at 6:00 p.m. on DIY. It is called "The Dirt on Gardening". The part about coffee grounds was just a little short segment about 30 seconds long but as I said earlier the show was interesting. The most interesting part was about a resteraunt in California (I think) that grows all of their own vegetables and what is ripe in the garden dictates what is on the menu. There was also a segment about how to select the best plants when buying. I did learn a couple of things from this and I'm very picky when buying plants. I really didn't think that coffee grounds would hurt the garden, I just didn't know if it would be any better than any other compostable material. The guy on the show apparantly put LOTS of grounds in his garden and it didn't look that big. I don't have a Starbucks nearby (yes there are places where they are not on every corner) but there are a couple of coffee shops in the area. Maybe I will see if they have a similar program, or will start one. Thanks all, MMS __________________ THE MAN'S PRAYER I am a man, but I can change, if I have to.... I guess.

April 14, 2006	#10
Althea Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: z4MN Posts: 261	I sprinkle brewed coffee ground in the garden, primarily around the rose bushes, not for their N value but because they are considered gourmet food by worms. Practically nothing is better for plants than worm casings. Once I sprinkled the lawn liberally with coffee grounds acquired from a local coffee shop specifically to encourage worms to aerate the lawn. It worked wonderfully. I mostly add the grounds to the compost. __________________ Solanaceae Hugger

June 17, 2006	#12
QAGuy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Glendora, CA Posts: 167	I'm not sure that buying fresh coffee would be a cost effective way to add organic matter to your garden. Coffee ain't exactly cheap for the amout of matter you will get. I would think soil amendment would be a better deal. You've probably got an Early Girl. __________________ "We have met the enemy and he is us" - Pogo

April 7, 2006	#3
Rena Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Warm Springs, GA Posts: 1,421	Starbucks has a program called grounds to garden. When you walk in the door is a barrel and it has HUGE bags of grounds bagged up and ready to go. They even have a label that says Free Grounds for Gardens. I was so happy yesterday I got 4 bags!!! These bags are gallon size. I would bring a extra bag to put in the truck as they do leak. You can call in advance to see if they have any. Good luck

April 7, 2006	#4
DonnaMarieNJ Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Northeast New Jersey Posts: 731	What amount of coffee grinds should you use and how often? Weekly? Once a season? And when? I missed this show.

April 12, 2006	#7
creister Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Abilene, TX zone 7 Posts: 1,478	I used them on my rose bushes last year, just sprinkled it on and they really liked it. I also dumped several pounds on the garden last year before planting and saw no ill effects. The only thing you need to watch is how thick you put them down, as they will crust and repel water. Thin layers work great, or just kind of stir them with a pitch fork or shovel. I think I've read any where from 20 to 40 lbs/1000 sq. ft.

April 12, 2006	#8
Cecilia_MD7a MAGTAG™ Coordinator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 400	I'm known as the Crazy Coffee Grounds Lady at work - I collect the stuff from the coffeemaker each day. Most of it goes into my compost bins, but I have thrown it onto the tomato patch occasionally, with no ill effect. Although coffee grounds are brown in color, in the compost bin, they're considered a weak "green." This means that if you use them directly in the garden, they are a mild nitrogen-based fertilizer.

April 13, 2006	#9
Adenn1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Philly Posts: 559	All of my home brewing goes right into my lasagna beds..grounds and filters. I cover them with ground leaves and grass clippings. The worms love the stuff and I believe it has really helped. When I started the lasagna beds, I used a great deal of coffee grounds from Starbucks...I suspect I collected a few hundred pounds over several months...

June 17, 2006	#11
paxpuella Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Southern IL Posts: 21	Sorry about bringing up an old post, but I have a question about coffee grounds and was searching. I love the fact that Starbucks is offering this program and will check in the town I work in to see if they are participating in it. I don't drink coffee and neither does my husband. My question is if I can't find used coffee grounds at the Starbucks store, can I buy a can of cheap coffee and spread it out among my plants without it being used? I hope I stated that question so it made sense. I would love to have a garden that looked fantastic and flourished. This is my first year to have a garden that is fairly good sized besides my little row of tomato plants the last couple of years. I'm still learning a lot. I have brandywine, cherry and another type of tomato planted something girl (the name escapes me at the moment) and also some bell peppers planted. Would coffee grounds be good for them since I've heard it is for acid loving plants? Thanks for any help.

June 17, 2006	#13
timcunningham Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Middle Georgia Posts: 241	qaguy, dedpends where you get them. My office throws away about 4 cups of grounds a day. I don't buy them, my boss does. __________________ Visit my site: tomatoindex.com a database of over 2700 varieties. Vote for your favorite.

June 17, 2006	#15
DennisinPa Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Pa. Posts: 24	I have used coffee grounds and filters from our home in the compost pile for several years with good results