Coffee Grounds in Your Garden? Feed your plants, save the environment!

Why throw those used coffee grounds out?  Coffee grounds make a great slow-release organic fertilizer. Coffee grounds contain good amounts of nitrogen as well as some potassium and phosphorus, plus other micronutrients. You will also be helping the environment! Plants that require a more acidic soil (evergreens, azaleas and blueberries) will benefit from coffee grounds the most.

“Fresh” vs. “Used” Coffee Grounds

Fresh coffee grounds are very acidic and contain high levels of caffeine. These must be used with caution as it will raise the acidity of your soil. Some plants do not respond well to this. There is also the question of caffeine effects on plants. I do not recommend the use of fresh grounds to adjust the pH of your soil as all coffee has different pH levels to begin with and there are so many easier ways to adjust your pH.

 
Used coffee grounds on the other hand are relatively pH neutral and caffeine levels are lower. This is the preferred method as it does not adversely affect soil pH levels. You will still be adding caffeine to your soil so you don’t want to over do it.

How to Use
In Compost The best way to use coffee grounds is adding to compost. Take care to add grounds so that they comprise no more than 15 percent of your total compost volume. Any higher, and may inhibit the breaking down of organic matter. There is also evidence that too much caffeine is not good for worms in your composter.
Spread on Top and work into soil. Spread a thin layer (quarter inch maximum) on top of soil and mix into soil. You can repeat this process every few weeks to maintain nutrients and organic matter. Your plants will love you for it.

I add the grounds to all of my gardens and put any excess grounds on my lawn. Used sparingly coffee grounds are a great way to help your garden as well as the environment. Kudos!