Composting With Coffee Grounds
Many people have this doubt in their mind whether or not it is right to sprinkle coffee grounds in the compost pile. If the answer were no, a lot of confusion would follow, and in the end, it will be a lie, but, from experts views, it is a yes.
While the color of the coffee ground is not similar to most vegetables, its addition to composite is considered “green.” Instead of wasting the coffee grounds in a landfill, composting will gladly add nitrogen to your compost pile in the aspect of increasing organic material to your soil that will facilitate growing of crops.
It is known that fresh coffee grounds have some coffee remains which have some acidic level, but when you wash them before composting in your pile, a neutral feel will be triggered, estimated at 6.5 pH.
This is an ideal pH for most crops to do well. This mechanism will add some improvements like water retention, drainage, and soil aeration.
While we focus on using coffee grounds as a green fertilizer, kindly make sure you balance them with “browns” to make carbon-rich materials that will improve its performance. It is for this reason that it has been accepted as one of the safe and beneficial means of improving farming.
In your gardens, you might be interested in coffee grounds for various benefits it will offer. They include;
- Pest deterrent: Coffee grounds tend to keep slugs and snails away from plants. This has been characterized by the caffeine in the coffee which negatively affects such pets hence they avoid soil with the coffee grounds. Does it mean the ground gets abrasive inconveniencing the soft-slug body or the caffeine is harmful to them? Not so sure. The only visible reaction is, slugs avoid areas with coffee grounds.
- Mulching: Do not mistake and use coffee grounds as the only component of mulch; the results will be detrimental. Coffee contains caffeine, and some seeds may not need it for germination, but if you add some to your mulch, the results will be friendly. Mulching is an excellent practice for gardeners and is incredibly beneficial to plants nourishment.
- Food for worms: Coffee grounds are also regarded as worm food for those who do vermicompost. So, if you add them in small proportions to your worm bin, a considerable growth will be registered in the process. Therefore, it’s an excellent supplement for worm multiplication.
- Cat deterrent: Cats are the common criminals using veggies and flowers as their litter box. No gardener will be impressed by such habits. But, coffee grounds are cat repellent. Adding them to your soil will keep away cats from doing what they love with your flowers and veggies.
While most people may be having questions concerning using fresh coffee grounds in the garden, it is possible though not always recommended. This is due to the high rates of acidity which may not encourage most plants to grow not unless they are acid-loving plants.
The likes of hydrangeas, lilies, azaleas as well as blueberries will thrive; tomatoes will not. Otherwise, it will suppress many weeds and repel pests.
Learn more about how JC’s Landscaping can help with your lawn fertilization schedule.Coffee grounds will do well in your garden if you add small amounts and combining with “browns” to make a performance at high levels. This is because they don’t add nitrogen directly to the soil. Remember, this component only adds nitrogen to your compost.
One thought on “Used Coffee Grounds in Garden Soil”
This is such a great tip! I worked in coffee shops for five years, and coffee grounds can be relatively easy to get in bulk. If you don’t think you have enough just from what you use daily, sometimes coffee shops like Starbucks will have coffee grounds out for you to take. Always make sure to call ahead and give them your name and ask them to reserve some if you want to make sure you get them, though – they go fast!