Using Coffee Grounds for Compost and Fertilizer

Coffee Grounds in Coffee

I had the pleasure of creating a new vegetable plot over the weekend, and took a few happy snaps of how the soil was prepared. This will be plot number 3, much smaller than plots 1 and 2, and will be used this Spring/Summer to grow watermelon, tomatoes, and sweet corn.

So let’s go through the steps of using coffee grounds as an ingredient for compost and coffee grounds as fertilizer.

This bag of fresh used coffee grounds fueled the coffee addiction of a few dozen drinkers the day before. How much better is this going into the garden than into landfill – heaps!

Here we have other materials ready to go, including leafmold, mature compost, dry cow manure, soil from plot 2, and some unloved soil from the side of the house.

Opening the bag of coffee grounds, there are a couple of tea bags in there and an apple core. These are great to find in there, because it is just more organic material that is going to contribute to soil health, and therefore, healthier plants.

Mixing it all up now with a pitch fork. I can see a banana peal in there now, more the better!

Mixed nicely now and have thrown in a few handfuls of blood and bone.

Now this beautiful custom mix of coffee compost is ready to add to plot 3.

Opps – forgot about those extra coffee grounds sitting in the wax box. That is going to be added also. This was also the spot where man worm was found.

And this is plot 3 before I add the soil. On this side of the garden, I have the hot compost going, along with a few bags of magnolia leaves, which are being dried out in biodegradable plastic bags. While we are on the topic of magnolia leaves, they are also very good for worm farms – just not too many of them at once!

Collecting coffee grounds for compost and fertilizer is a fantastic way to add organic material into your garden. The grounds are everywhere you look – cafes, offices, outside train stations, in the home. They are almost always fresh, free, and gratefully given.

What have you been adding to your new vegetable plot?

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