• If you need help identifying a pepper, disease, or plant issue, please post in Identification.

Coffee Grounds

P

Pepperboy64

Hello, just another question coming from a first season newb, recently i read about how used coffee grounds are a good source of nitrogen or whatever. I also read that somebody said that Starbucks gave away their used grounds for free, so the other day i went asked for some and they were kind enough to give me some. So i was wondering if anyone has some info on what to do with them/how to use them. I am thinking about making some of that fancy compost tea stuff or whatever and was wondering if that would be something to throw in there.
 
We usually spread them on the soil and compost pile, then dig or till them in. I've heard the coffee grounds will help keep slugs away from plants if they're in a ring around the plant. I don't think I'd use the grounds when making compost or manure tea. The worms or microbes seems to like them as the grounds are gone by the end of the summer. Also - don't let the ground stay too long in the bag as the moisture in the grounds will mold quickly. Been there - done that.
 
I got a good 50 lbs last time I hit up Starbucks. As if I needed it, we drink a lot of coffee in my house.
I put it in to my compost pile, and in to my worm bin. If you have acidic soil be careful, coffee can drop your PH quite a bit.

In some cases that can be a good thing. Here in San Diego our city water sits about 9 so a little coffee helps bring it back to around 6-7.

So yeah, don't put too much in to your soil. As for compost, have at it.
 
i compost mine first. i probably get 10#s every month or so whenever i'm in a Starbucks working. like stated above they are very acidic and composting will raise or balance the ph a bit before using. coffee is considered a "green" in the brown:green ratio of composting.
 
Proud Marine Dad said:
Be careful though with the worms as too many grounds can create heat!
Click to expand...

Actually, its kinda funny... before we first got into worming, my aunt had brought a cup of red wrigglers from her worm farms for my little brother as a Christmas gift. She explained to him how to care for them, as well as the beneifts they bring to your garden. My dad helped him set up a tub and the worms were on their way. However, my little brother was not ever even interested in gardening and neglected the worms... While I was off at school my dad was the one who essentially was in charge of the worms, and being a very very busy man, he basically neglected them as well. For the entire winter, from thanksgiving to may, the worms subsisted in a very hot room of our house in a tub with only a few small holes in the lid. The only food the worms recieved for that entire period was coffee grounds and filters. That is it!!! When spring came along, I returned home for summer break. I wanted to start my own worm farm(s), because I was/am an avid gardener. When I pulled that worm farm out of that hot room and opened it up fully for the first time in months, I was amazed to see a huge mass of thriving, writhing worms!!!! The worms were packed solid. There were so many worms it was ridiculous. There may have been more worms in that tub than I have in all of my worm farms combined. It was freakish. So the point is, that heat of which you speak is something the worms love. Those worms were in a room that stayed about 80 degrees and were fed only coffee grounds.

Now I have 6 worm farms of my own!!! I feed them a huge diversity of things... and of course, every day one of the bins gets its morning coffee ;-)
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:1397]
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:1398]
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:1396]
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:1395]
 
Noah Yates said:
Actually, its kinda funny... before we first got into worming, my aunt had brought a cup of red wrigglers from her worm farms for my little brother as a Christmas gift. She explained to him how to care for them, as well as the beneifts they bring to your garden. My dad helped him set up a tub and the worms were on their way. However, my little brother was not ever even interested in gardening and neglected the worms... While I was off at school my dad was the one who essentially was in charge of the worms, and being a very very busy man, he basically neglected them as well. For the entire winter, from thanksgiving to may, the worms subsisted in a very hot room of our house in a tub with only a few small holes in the lid. The only food the worms recieved for that entire period was coffee grounds and filters. That is it!!! When spring came along, I returned home for summer break. I wanted to start my own worm farm(s), because I was/am an avid gardener. When I pulled that worm farm out of that hot room and opened it up fully for the first time in months, I was amazed to see a huge mass of thriving, writhing worms!!!! The worms were packed solid. There were so many worms it was ridiculous. There may have been more worms in that tub than I have in all of my worm farms combined. It was freakish. So the point is, that heat of which you speak is something the worms love. Those worms were in a room that stayed about 80 degrees and were fed only coffee grounds.

Now I have 6 worm farms of my own!!! I feed them a huge diversity of things... and of course, every day one of the bins gets its morning coffee ;-)
Click to expand...

You sir are awesome!
 
I've used coffee grounds in my garden and will be when I start composting too. I mentioned it to Ramon, Walkgood, and he started a really grand experiment with it. read here: http://thehotpepper.com/topic/36338-walkgoods-2013-initiation-glog/page__st__460#entry788508

In the link is a link to an article written by one of our own, cycadjungle who is a professional here in Florida, about his use of coffee in his gardens and professionally. Here's links to a couple of posts he made in Ramons Glog all great info:

http://thehotpepper.com/topic/36338-walkgoods-2013-initiation-glog/page__st__460#entry788636

http://thehotpepper.com/topic/36338-walkgoods-2013-initiation-glog/page__st__480#entry788804

Cheers,
RM
 
i make a french press or two each day and give my blueberry or butterfly bushes what i scrape out. it seems like they are tweaking out as hard as I do :shocked:
This is one year old and if you look REALLY REALLY hard... it looks like a bunny :D
IMG_0155.jpg

IMG_0156.jpg
 
Noah, I don't know about your situation but I was just passing on the info on too many coffee grounds that I received from Bentley who is a well known and well respected seller of red wigglers.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top