Question About Coffee Grounds

[Janice Terrell]

I have a question regarding coffee grounds in the garden. I remember my Grandmother saving her coffee grounds and egg shells and putting them in her garden. Sometimes she worked them into the soil and other times she left them on top.

Is this possibly a compost type thing? Like maybe the grounds might keep the soil from packing down and getting hard. Do the egg shells maybe provide some kind of nutrients.

If so, this seems like a good use for things that would otherwise just be thrown in the garbage. She also scattered rose bushes in her garden. Very pretty but we were 11 miles from town and over a mile from the neighbors so nobody got to see it but us.

[cheriluvsrj]

I am trying this,just starting doing this year.
Don’t know the results yet, as it’s to early to tell.
I am also throwing left over strawberry tops in there.
So we shall see.

[Janice Terrell]

Any chance the strawberries will take root and sprout? Pretty sure the egg shells won’t but not sure about strawberries!!!

[cheriluvsrj]

Yeah they might, and that will be Okay with us,
we have a tiny strawberry batch growing, and them strawberries
are fussy little things(as to where they wanna be placed) LOL.
Oh we just put our coffee grounds and tops on top of soil.

[Janice Terrell]

My Mother has 2 patches, one on the south side if the house that gets strong sun most of the day. Another in a corner that gets only morning sun. Both seem to produce about the same though the patch that gets more shade spreads better.

[brchbell]

I know egg shells are very high in calcium. I grind them up and add to the chicken feed and also add to compost pile. Coffee grounds repel slugs and snails!

Not a problem where I’m at presently but in the past was a major problem and putting coffee grounds around my plants stopped ’em cold!

[Janice Terrell]

Thanks brchbell. We certainly have slugs (ugh) and snails around here. The grounds around the plants seems like a very cost effective solution plus a good way to cut down on kitchen trash.

[cheriluvsrj]

Oh wow! that is GREAT information to know,Thanks so much brchbell!
And Thanks a bunch to you Janice for the post!

[mcnerd]

Potted plants love coffee grounds, but I mostly put everything in to the compost heap where it is loved, especially egg shells. Paper from your shredder and shredded newspaper are also good. Worms love the paper, but not the Sunday shiny stuff.

Also good for weed control.

[Virginia]

You can put all kinds of things from your kitchen in your garden. You can leave it on top or you can till it in (looks better)the garden. OR put it in a compost bin or pile.

We have two piles going year round but in the late fall and winter (when we don’t fill like walking out to the piles) we just toss stuff on top, what hasn’t composted by spring we till in.)

We put:
Coffee grounds, Tea bags – remove staples (or tea grounds), herbs (fresh or ground) , Peels of all sorts – taters, carrots, etc. , Lettuce and other greens
Fruit peels including Banana peels and left-over bananas, and Eggshells (can be broken up or crushed (do break down faster) but not necessary.) Grass clippings and leaves.

Coffee grounds added regularly help to increase acid in your soil.

Plants that I found that love coffee grounds are roses and prairie plants.
It seems too heavy to use on most herbals, though. Fruit trees (like peach and pear) do not care for them.

Hope this helps. Thanks; Virginia

[arleneb]

I’ve added coffee grounds to soil around rhododendrons and azaleas. They are acid loving plants. (I must have read that somewhere)

[Janice Terrell]

Never realized there were so many uses for something that is normally in the trash. Thanks for all the ideas.

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