Equal Exchange Coffee News
Coffee Grinds in your Garden
Grounds for Your Garden
Coffee grounds make great compost additives and pest deterrents. It’s an inexpensive way to fertilize your garden,
build a richer compost yield and promote worm activity.
As Compost and Worm Promoter
Spent coffee grinds make a great additive to a compost pile as they have a very high carbon to nitrogen level.
Initially, the coffee will provide a good level of acidity and add a great texture to your compost. A common supplement
to coffee grinds in a compost pile is egg shells. Worms love coffee grounds. Adding coffee grounds to
compost piles will promote their activity as they feed on them. Because worms love to feed on coffee grounds,
you can also toss the grounds in your garden soil to promote their activity in general areas.
Garden Soil Additive
Coffee grinds are acidic with a pH level of about 4.0. For plants that prefer more acidic soil content, like azaleas
and tomatoes, coffee grounds make a great additive to the soil. Mixing coffee grounds with garden soil for a
topping layer in the garden is an excellent way to add organic matter to your fertilizer mix. Other plants that like
the acidic taste of coffee grinds include: hydrangeas, blueberries and rhododendrons.
Slug Control
Your average household spent-coffee grounds contain roughly .05% concentration of caffeine. Though this is
not enough to kill slugs, it is a great slug and snail deterrent. Sprinkle the grounds around the tender plants and
veggies where you want to discourage slugs.
Managing and Collecting
Keeping wet, spent coffee grounds in a can or bag can turn into a moldy smelly mess, so it is a good practice to
deploy your grinds on a frequent basis – a few times a week, if not a daily basis.
Go ahead and toss your coffee filters into the mix along with the spent grounds. Most all coffee filters are biodegradable
and are fine to add to a compost pile. It makes it easier and more convenient to recycle your grinds.
THESE HELPFUL SUMMERTI ME GARDENI NG TI PS ARE BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE WHEEL OF FRI ENDSHI P AND EQUAL
EXCHANGE FAIR TRADE COFFEES, TEAS AND COCOA.
