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Used coffee grinds as....

13 years ago

.... a topping for winter sown seeds that might like acidic conditions? Or a mix in with soil? Suggestions as to which types might like this, to do, or not to do? All good.

I keep collecting these every time I make coffee and thought I could put them to good winter sowing use...

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Comments (9)

countrycarolyn
13 years ago
To funny!! Well I have been keeping mine also, along with the coffee filter. I figured there are 2 things I could do with them. 1 either mix it with my mix that I am using in my containers. Or 2 use them in one of my beds to help break up some of my clay. My thought was, that earth worms actually feed off of coffee grounds. Well earth worms actually break up dirt. Well I plan to plant some woodland plants in this one bed. So I was going to dump my coffee grounds in that bed and mix with the existing soil.

Maybe someone else can give us some tips. I have been wanting to ask around to people using coffee grounds but I just haven't gotten to it.

Oh by the way when I started my comment off to funny, I wasn't laughing at you. I was relieved to find that someone else must think like I do. Ha Ha!!

As far as which plants need more acid the only way I know that is research every plant, sorry.
gardenunusual
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks countrycarolyn :)) Every little bit of input helps. My tomatoes (first time growing them, not from seed) loved the coffee grinds with the filters, and eggshells this year.

I had some coffee grinds I saved too long recently that ended up molding (tossed those away) but these... well.... since I am winter sowing now maybe I could put them to good use....?
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Petrock, I'm taking a chance and adding mine, too. Some of my problem is not knowing forum etiquette, having started at it at a ripe old age and no one around to offer any help. I am thinking I sometimes put others "off" unintentionally, or maybe I just don't ask the right questions, who knows? I'm not too old to learn, but still need a bit of time to figure it out. Your points are all good, and I thank you for the input, all and any of which I appreciate, from anyone. The bin is not only inside, but in my kitchen over in a corner, and I get a kick out of people not even knowing it's there if I don't tell them. I wasn't concerned about the worms, really, and yes, it was condensation, but a really LOT of it, and for the first time since it was set up in late October, I had a puddle in the bottom. I keep a somewhat thick layer of newspaper over the bedding in the top tray, and it was not only very damp, it was solidly covered with mites. Again, I wasn't concerned about the worms, but wanted to know what had the bin out of balance. I am working really hard at learning how NOT to succumb to new worm bin syndrome! I'm at the six month point, and want it to keep going as well as it has been. You are correct that it was too much to add a filter full a day (not the paper remember? reusable basket), but more because I was just dumping it in and not making sure I was covering it with bedding than because of the amount of UCG, which Bob made clear. It went straight from a closed drip coffee maker, and was full of water. It was room temp, having sat all day, but still not the best way to add them. Overfeeding isn't the problem, or at least I don't think it is. I started slow and just added more as the herd multiplied. I think I started with either 1000 or 1 lb of worms in one tray, don't really remember, but it wasn't many compared to the bedding the instructions told me to add. Now I have worms in, it seems, pretty much every square inch of the middle tray, still some but not many in the bottom tray full of castings, and an increasing number in the top tray, where I feed and added the UCG. I don't add food if there is anything recognizable left over. I run about a week ahead, with worm food going in a bag in the freezer for a week, then being left in a wire strainer in the sink for half a day or so, getting stirred now and then, before being added to the bin. When I take a bag out of the freezer, I start another one for the next week. It used to go through my blender, but that got to be a lot of trouble, so now I just chop it small when I'm all done cutting and prepping for eats the next week for me and hubby, and toss it in the bag. The bag starts out skinny and is fatter by the end of the week. I try to use common sense how much of it to add without overfeeding. As in, how much did they eat of the last batch? I don't know where you got your worm factory from, and I don't even presume to know enough to make recommendations, but I do feel okay giving a suggestion. Toss the directions that came with the factory and listen to what you get here. I realize that this might label me as a lurker, but I've read every single post made in the last however long, and some others, and there is a wealth of knowledge and experience here that I really wish I had found before I spent as much $$ as I did. I am not saying the worm factory is bad and mine is doing well, but I know now I could have done (and will do in the future) better for less. I do believe it's called live and learn. :) I'm sorry. I just reread this and it really sounds like preaching, doesn't it? I don't mean it that way. I just started saying what I thought and it's what came out. I hope I didn't offend anyone. Lynn
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countrycarolyn
13 years ago
You know they say egg shells are a good way to keep away the slugs. Hey I believe in all that stuff. I even use a bottle of spray water with a few drops of dish washing liquid in it to get rid of pest on my tomatoes. Or just plain flower. The only reason I grow marigolds is to keep away the borers around the tomatoes. Zinnias are suppose to be another good one. If pyretheum had a long enough bloom I would have it all around my house. lol
carmen_grower_2007
13 years ago
I throw coffee grounds in my house plants on a regular basis. If they get moldy, I just stir them a little with a fork. That is the only fertilizer my house plants get and some are over 15 years old.
gardenunusual
Original Author
13 years ago
@carmen - I have been tossing them also in my snake and pothos plants, they are growing out of control! I love the fine texture of the grinds too.
loisthegardener_nc7b
13 years ago
Used coffee grounds are great for the compost pile if you have one. Even though they are colored brown, they are considered a 'green', which means they contribute nitrogen as they break down in the soil. Most of the acid in the coffee grounds gets dissolved into your coffee, so used coffee grounds won't be very acidic. I would not want to let the coffee grounds touch a small seedling, because I would be afraid the mold from the coffee grounds would hurt the seedling. It would probably be fine mixed into the garden soil next to big established plants, though.
ladyrose65
13 years ago
I used seaweed as my soil conditioner. It stinks, but it's a great natural for soil. I just put pails of it around my rose bushes.

I'm going to do a little test on my some of my containers and compare seedling sizes and hardiness to the containers w/out the seaweed.

We are putting the coffee grinds on what will be a future vegetable garden. Sounds like a great idea.
hepatica_z7
13 years ago
I have noticed in the garden that the presence of fresh coffee grounds seems to impede germination. Perhaps not of all seeds, though? As for using them for a top dressing in your WS pots, you will probably find they crust over. This will make it hard for little seedlings to emerge.

If your coffee grounds mold, don't throw them away! Unless you throw them onto the compost pile, or sprinkle them in your garden beds. Molding is the beginning of the decomposition you want.

Happy Sowing, all you WSers. May your sprouts all spring forth at just the right time.

Hepatica
albert_135 　 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
13 years ago
Posted by hepatica_z7 Fri, Dec 24, 10 at 13:36

I have noticed in the garden that the presence of fresh coffee grounds seems to impede germination. Perhaps not of all seeds, though?

I have been researching serious articles on coffee and so far the only negative effect I can find seems to be on the germination of some(?) seed. You can study my links at Allelopathic, autotoxic Chemicals in Coffee: - Test Forum - GardenWeb. I invite you to report anything you find that I have missed.

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