Coffee for Your Garden? What to do with Those Coffee Grounds

There’s nothing quite like the smell of a fresh cup of coffee in the morning. Though it’s the caffeine that gets you up and going, the smell can help get you out of bed and ready to start the day. For every cup of coffee brewed, there are coffee grounds that are left behind. Can these be used in the garden? Are they really good for plants? Learn more about how to use the coffee grounds instead of throwing them out to help your garden thrive.

Is Coffee Really Good for Plants?

Research can be a bit divided on whether coffee is good for plants and, if so, whether it’s worth using. The reality is there isn’t a lot of research into it yet. Most of the information available right now is from gardeners who like to experiment and see what happens with their plants. Some studies have found that the acidity of coffee grounds can result in poor growth for some plants, though it can help others thrive. Knowing what acidity level the plants prefer for their soil and experimenting with how much to use can be key to figuring out what works best in your garden.

Used Versus Unused

Used coffee grounds are very different from unused ones. The ones that are not used yet aren’t going to provide the same benefits and can be harmful even to plants that like coffee grounds. It’s best to stick with used coffee grounds, as they’ve already had a lot of the caffeine and other nutrients removed from them during the brewing process. Brew the coffee grounds to make a cup or two of coffee, then instead of tossing what’s left, use it in the garden.

Using Coffee Grounds in Compost

Coffee grounds can be a great addition to compost, but it is important to avoid adding too much. If you don’t compost yet, it’s easy to get started, and this can be a great way to prep the coffee grounds for use in your garden. Due to the high nitrogen content, coffee grounds are considered a green material like food scraps and cut grass. Limit the coffee grounds to no more than 20% of the total volume of compost and add plenty of brown material to help offset the acidity. The coffee grounds will add many different nutrients to the resulting compost, including potassium, calcium, and magnesium.

Use When pH Needs to Be Shifted

Some plants, like dandelions, will grow just about anywhere, no matter what the soil is like. Many plants, however, have their preferences for where they’ll grow, and the pH of the soil can make a huge difference. When the pH needs to be made more acidic, it is possible to add the coffee grounds directly to the soil, around seven to eight inches down. This is perfect for plants like blueberries, carrots, and azaleas.

Try a Liquid Fertilizer

Whether you get coffee in Sevierville Place or brew your own at home, coffee grounds can be diluted in water to use as a liquid fertilizer. Try asking coffee shops for their excess coffee grounds, as they’ll likely have plenty they don’t mind giving away instead of throwing in the trash. Use just a little bit of the coffee grounds, around two cups to five gallons of water, to create a fertilizer to sprinkle on the ground around the plants.

Start Feeding the Worms

Using coffee grounds around the plants in the garden can attract worms, which are fantastic for the health of the soil. Plus, coffee grounds can be used to feed worms if you have a worm bin. Anyone can start a worm bin, and once everything is set up, add around a cup of coffee grounds  per week for the worms. They’ll love the treat, and it’ll add to the nutrients in the worm casings that can be used in the garden.

Keep Pests Away

A lot of pests don’t like coffee grounds, whether it’s the taste, the acidity, or the texture. A light sprinkle of coffee grounds around the plants can help keep slugs and similar creatures away from them. Plus, a lot of cats don’t like the smell of coffee grounds, so if it’s mixed into the soil, they may leave the garden alone. While coffee grounds aren’t guaranteed to keep pests away, using them could be a great method to try. If it works, it’s a natural alternative to chemicals that are often sprayed to keep pests at bay.

Avoid Using Too Much

It is important to avoid overusing coffee grounds in the garden, as too much can lead to excess moisture in the soil, stunted growth in plants, or the growth of fungi. If any of these signs of overuse appear, stop using coffee on those plants. In most cases, it’s best to only use coffee grounds in the garden every six weeks or so. The liquid fertilizer can be used every two or three weeks, provided it’s well diluted. When spreading it on the soil, only use a thin layer to prevent signs of overuse.

Use on Mature Plants Only

It is also important to note that coffee grounds should only be used on plants that are already mature. The coffee grounds will be ineffective at best and often problematic when used on seeds, seedlings, or young plants. Once the plants are mature and established in the garden, though, the above tips for coffee grounds can be used.

Used coffee grounds can be reused in the garden instead of being thrown away. While there is not a lot of research into this yet, it can be fun to experiment with the different ways to use coffee grounds in the garden and see what happens. Some methods might not be very helpful for your plants, but others may be wildly successful and help your garden thrive. Try the tips here, keeping moderation in mind, and see how used coffee grounds can help your garden grow.