Tag Archive for: Starbucks

Starbucks Coffee Plant Containers

Do you love visiting your local Starbucks for that perfect cup of coffee?  Or maybe you prefer an iced coffee like I do.

coffee cup containers

 Well, my mother absolutely LOVES coffee and Starbucks is a frequent stop of hers.  The other day, she brought over a bunch of used coffee cups and sleeves.

coffee cup containers

She had the great idea of using the sleeves for starting seeds in.

Of course when my mother has a good idea, I usually listen 😉

So I got to work….

coffee cup containers

coffee cup containers

The kids helped me plant the seeds.

Then I started looking at the cups and I thought that they would make great planters too.

So I cut them in half and then cut out the bottom of the lower  part of the cup using a knife.

coffee cup containers

Because there are no bottoms to the planters, it is important to place the containers before you fill them with soil.

I think it turned out pretty good, don’t you?

Tomato, Bachelor's Button and a Marigold plant

Tomato, Bachelor’s Button and a Marigold plant.

Once your plants are ready to be transplanted, simply plant the cardboard coffee sleeve in the soil.  The cardboard will break down.

The coffee cup containers won’t break down easily, so place the plant and container in your prepared hole and then simply cut down the side of the container and carefully remove it and finish filling in the hole with soil.

So the next time you stop your local coffee house, don’t throw away your cup – save it and use it for starting seeds.

**To learn more about how to start seeds indoors, you can read my earlier blog post.

Help in the Garden, Courtesy of Starbucks….

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The other day, my husband and I stopped by Starbucks for some coffee.  Starbucks for us is a guilty pleasure.  We don’t go there all the time.  Maybe 3 – 4 times a month.

Well, as we were waiting for our coffee to be ready, I noticed a bin filled with bags that caught my attention….

coffee grounds

Some of you may be wondering what coffee grounds have to do with gardening.  Well they actually work in a variety of ways that benefit the soil in your garden.

Used coffee grounds:

– slowly release nitrogen into the soil

– improve the texture of both sandy and clay soils

– are loved by earthworms who ‘eat’ them and leave behind their coveted droppings

– are a source of phosphorus, potassium and micro-nutrients such as magnesium, copper and calcium

– can be used in compost piles instead of manure

So…..are you tempted to use coffee grounds in your garden?  Do not just throw them out in the garden.  You need to mix them with your existing soil.  Apply a 1/4″ layer and then rake them into your existing soil.

You can also use them in your compost pile.  Used coffee grounds are a ‘green’ compost material and shouldn’t make up more then 20% of your compost.

So, are you still wavering on whether or not to use them?  Okay, how about this fact:

Starbucks

**Starbucks gives their used coffee grounds away for free.  If you don’t often find yourself inside of a Starbucks, you can always use your own coffee grounds.

Now, maybe your local Starbucks doesn’t give away their coffee grounds. Well, you should ask.  The more people ask for them, the more likely they are to ‘bag’ their used coffee grounds and give them away.

You can always wait until the baristas are not busy and ask if you can have their used coffee grounds that they have right then.  You can even offer to take them in the plastic trash bag that they are already in.

Now, that I know that I can find used coffee grounds at my local Starbucks, I will just have to stop by more often and of course, I will have to get some coffee.

What a sacrifice….. 😉

“The Joy of Composting”