Coffee Grounds

Turn your morning coffee grounds into soil amendment or mulch for your indoor and outdoor gardens.

Coffee grounds do provide some nutrients to plants. Sprinkle a thin layer of fresh or composted grounds on the soil surface, but avoid contact with the plant stems. This fine material easily compacts, so use no more than ½ inch of coffee and consider covering it with a coarser mulch, like woodchips, when used in the garden. 

Use with care as some plants are sensitive to the chemicals and fresh coffee grounds can prevent their seeds from sprouting. Avoid using fresh grounds where you are planting seeds. In addition, digging fresh coffee grounds into the soil can temporarily tie up nitrogen needed by your plants.

So compost fresh grounds before adding them to the soil. Or add the coffee grounds, filter and all to your compost pile or worm composter.

A bit more information: Contrary to popular belief coffee grounds do not make the soil acidic. Any impact on the pH is temporary. Learn more about using coffee grounds in the garden by reading the publications Coffee grounds - will they perk up plants? and Using Coffee Grounds in Gardens and Landscapes.

Tags

sustainable-gardening ph amend compost coffee-grounds

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