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….
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 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….. 😉
