coffee grounds?

[Bpyboy]

Hi All, Well, yesterday I turned my compost (first time for everything, I guess?), but it was then I realized that old "Berkely Bob" from the local organic coffee shop hooked me up with 10 gallons of organic coffee grounds! Ideally, I would have mixed them in during the turning of the compost, but too late now!

So I was wondering, today i'm going to do a final till on my new garden spot (well, from last year---I sheet composted TONS of garbage from the local produce market, and tilled under a couple pickup loads of horse and pig bedding to winter over). Can I just broadcast the stuff on the surface and till it under? Or would it be a better idea to hang onto it until my next compost turning (maybe in a week)?

Thanks, John

[Bill Bolle]

You can broadcast it out and till it in. Coffee grounds are acidic so if you were to put in that amount into your compost heap you would have to add limestone to raise the PH. Ten gallons of grounds, compared to the amount of organic matter you've already turned in, will not change the PH of your garden plot and will add a small amount of nitrogen. Besides, it would be less work. Bill

[Fito]

Tests have shown that used coffee grounds are neutral.

Fito

[Fito]

Throw them all over the place. Till, no till - doesnt matter: the worms will get to them!

Fito

[Jackee]

I have a question about coffee grounds. I am a novice gardener and have been saving my coffee grounds since I hear they can be added to the garden soil. However, I have heard mixed suggestions on whether they ground should be moist or kind of dried out. So, I guess I am wondering the ABC's of how to go about putting the grounds on the garden.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!

[Christopher Hamel]

You can use them just about any way you want. Personally, I just spread them atop the soil and let the bugs do the hard work.

If you want you can also till them in or throw them in the compost (along with the filters).

Grounds are good stuff.

[simy1]

it does not matter one way or another. worms can pull inch long pieces of leaves into their burrows (as in the famous experiments by Darwin) so a coffee grain will be no match to them. But, coffee grounds contain green molds as well as other growth that can sicken a plant, so avoid any contact with the leaves. I lost one blueberry and one lingonberry for carelessly dumping the coffee on the plant.

[Pen]

Coffee makes beautiful mulch -- especially the smell! :)

[Laser6328]

I get my grounds from the local "Kwickie Mart", a gallon bucketfull a day. I usually add then to my compost. They seem to speed up the action, possibly by encouraging worms, possibly by their texture/moisture retention. Because they will sometimes mold, I do not use them directly on my plants.

I have a question, Sometimes when I leave the filterbags around (in the buckets) I find that funcky looking "worms/larvie" develope in the grounds. Anyone else ever find these? What are they and how did they survive the hot water?

Thanks,

Ed