They may smell really bad but I think they'ed still be good as a soil amendment. Nothing's happened in those buckets that doesn't happen in the ground except it's concentrated. Stewing in those buckets so long may help them break down faster.

Thank you Karl. Oh good, I'm excited now. I can't wait to go pick them up. Appreciate your time.

Kate

I collected coffee grounds over last winter and used them
in the Spring. No harm was done. Worms loved them. lol

If they're too bad to use directly (they might SMELL), I'd probably still feel okay to add them to the compost pile.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Musings

My neighbor was complaining about a watermelon she just bought that smelled awful when she cut it. She was carrying it out to the trash, but I took it from her and put it in my compost pile. That was Thursday and there is almost no trace of it now.

Moldy is fine. Maybe mix it with some top soil or compost or shredded leaves if the smell is an issue.

Thank you everyone. Furthermore as it turns out I forgot to pick them up after work so add one more day to the decomposition process:) Sounds like they will be great.

Kate

They get moldy after a while. I get bags of the stuff and don't always distribute it to the soil as promptly as I should. Doesn't seem to hurt anything.

Thread title reminds me of the Gary Larson cartoon "When Mayonnaise Goes Bad" and the jar of Mayo in the fridge is holding up the ketchup bottle and mustard jar with a gun... ;)

What Karl said.

One precautionary note that's important. If it is moldy on top, first of all, cover it if it's not already. Second, and this is the important part, when you get home and open it, *avoid spreading spores by aerosol*. This would include gently removing or cracking the lid in an area without wind and then I would pour (not spray) some water on top to wet the spores.

Reason I mention this is even if you don't have mold allergies or other sinus conditions, it's not a good idea to breath in a big spore load.

Kate
Just be careful with the coffee grounds. Too much caffine will keep your roses up all night and you know how not getting enough sleep can affect one's appearance?

Thank you for the suggestion on the mold spores. I'll be careful.

Karl that made me smile. I just finally collected the grounds from my friend and it was six five gallon buckets total! Only four are the pre-composted ones:) I read this weekend also about making a coffee ground tea and want to see if I can learn a little more about that. I don't know if in respect to the roses that would be more advantageous than simply working them into the soil.

Kate

I think working them into the soil would give the most benefits. The tea would be almost like pouring a cup of weak coffee on the roses. Unlike alfalfa tea with the growth hormones and other nutrients, coffee is a great human stimulant but has minimal benefits for plants except as a soil amendment as the grounds decompose.

And remember, you don't want to give your roses a case of coffee jitters.

Okay Karl:) I will work them in like usual. Have a great weekend.

Kate

Just the ones I wanted to talk to! Is it also OK to use alfalfa that has molded? I have a little left in a bag. Can I just toss it in the garden with no harm?

Sherry

Moldy alfalfa hasn't lost it's good stuff. Use it.