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Vegetable Gardening

Too Much Coffee Grounds?

15 years ago

I am blessed with having a new coffee house in town that saves the grounds just for me - at least 30 pounds a week so far! I have a new 1/8th acre plot and have tilled in a couple weeks worth of these grounds during that process, then planted cukes. Problem is that now I will be getting this bounty every week - so more and more grounds, like forever. The rest of the garden is intensely spaced - a full acre of fenced garden, no lawn - I hate grass - and quite good loamy soil. I just wonder how much is too much? I have three huge compost bins that heat up nicely too that I could also add the grounds into. Is there something I need to add or a limit to how much of a good thing I can add to these beds and bins? Thanks!

Nancy

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Comments (4)

kayhh
15 years ago
Used coffee grounds are pretty much nuteral. I use them around slug-prone plants to deter slugs (and tho' some say otherwise, I swear by them for this use) But I'm talking about 2 pots worth of ground a day - not anywhere near the quantities that you are talking about. I don't know how that kind of quantity would affect or be needed with healthy soil. I do suggest you bring the question over to the Soil and Compost forum. There is bound to be a couple of wacko's that know the answer.

One thing I can suggest....you might want to leak out word of what a great amendment coffee grounds are and where you are getting them. There's got to be a few interested gardeners near-by.

Kay.
weirdtrev
15 years ago
Coffee ground can lower the pH of the soil, you should add a small amount of lime if you are using lots of grounds. Here is a link on what the EPA has to say about coffee grounds, it covers all the points you asked about.

I also hate grass, it's horrible stuff.
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We began adding used coffee grounds & filters, supplied by our local Coffee Culture, last year. My internet research suggests that it's not acid. I can tell you one thing - when I moved the pile in the fall, the grounds were loaded with earthworms. This tells me that there isn't much wrong with them. Are you still collecting grounds? How has it been working for you?
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Coffee grounds are a caffine jolt for your plants...they put nitrogen in the soil which is good and if there are earth worms those little boogers just love them. coffee grounds also if used too often could turn the soil to acidic and could cause a depletion of nutrients...they can burn your plants during hot summers especially if not watered in well and depending on the type of plants. I use mine on things like hydrangea, bouganvillea, roses any of your acid loving plants maybe every 3-6 months ....too much though it is kinda like eating ice cream all the time, it could one day make you sick (Sometimes a good thing can be too much). Coffee grounds are a soil admendment not fertilizer. But it sounds like you use a very minimal amount just make sure the coffee get mixed in the soil well and watered. How about composting it? 1part green (coffee)(grass clippings) to 2 parts brown (dead leaves) I hope this helps....HAPPY GARDENING :)
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I don't think foods "cooked" with salt would be a problem. Very salty things might cause problems, but the small amount of salt that is in, say vegetables or pasta cooked in salted water shouldn't be an issue -- I've certainly never seen any problems with it in my bins. Ditto with oils in small amounts (i.e., the amount of butter clinging to the leftover green beans, or dressing on the remains of the salad). Dairy and meat are best avoided, for the reasons you give, though again, I don't obsess about small amounts, like the parmesan on the leftover pasta. Cooked beans, citrus, hard fruit peels, corncobs and coffee grounds have never caused any problems for me, though obviously the "harder" something is, the longer it'll take to break down (only avocado seed have proven impervious to the bin, but I guess they really fall into the next category). Seeds are best avoided to the extent possible -- they don't break down, and promptly sprout when I use the vermicompost, but there's little way to avoid the occasional tomato, cucumber & squash seed if you're looking to use the system to compost your kitchen waste. So I just weed out the volunteers.
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fountaam
15 years ago
Too much can clump, especially if it is topically applied and not mixed into the soil. A slow addition with mixing into soil is needed. Checking the ph would be a good idea, but clumping is the only problem I've had.
User
15 years ago
Weirdtrev, great link to the EPA for coffee grounds info. I too get as much as I want from my local Starbucks and have been using it in my compost bin as well as regular garden. Wish I had blueberries, sounds like they'd be good for them and other acid lovers. Will apply some lime to compost today since I've put several bags into the compost heap. It's cooking away. The only problem I am having with my garden is that the okra I put into the lasagna garden isn't doing anything at all, just sitting there only inches tall.

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