6 Benefits of coffee grounds in your garden
California-based Sunset Magazine sent a sample to the lab to find out what is in spent coffee grounds. Here is the breakdown: nitrogen, 2.28%; phosphorus, 0.06% and potassium, 0.6%. Spent coffee grounds have a pH of 6.2, so slightly acidic. Here is the full report.
Where to get large quantities of spent coffee grounds? Starbucks has had the “Grounds for Your Garden” program in place since 1995, especially in the suburbs. If you tell your local barista that you’re a gardener, they will probably put some aside for you in a 5-lb bag.
With Starbucks, Tim Hortons and McDonalds all coming up with new dark and light blends all the time to get people to switch over to their brand of coffee, one thing is for sure: there are a lot of spent coffee grounds left over at day’s end.
Here are 6 ways coffee grounds and spent, loose tea leaves, which are right in nitrogen and slightly acidic, benefit your garden. Put several large fistfuls around each plant and work it in the surrounding soil:
1. Cedars and junipers of all shapes and sizes. 2. Hostas, as a deterrent to slugs. 3. Roses, camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas. 4. Vegetables such as spinach, tomatoes, and corn. 5. Worms love organic matter, including coffee grounds; they improve your soil quality. 6. Spent coffee grounds and loose tea leaves area also good for your lawn and will help to fight clover. Just spread it out and water it in.
