Used Coffee Grounds as Plant Fertilizer in the Garden?

Used Coffee Grounds for Plants in the Garden

Have you ever thought of putting used coffee grounds in the garden?  Probably not, but you should!

Used coffee grounds in the garden make for a green, eco-friendly, and sustainable way to provide nutrient rich homemade organic fertilizer to enhance the soil in your garden to promote superior plant growth.

In fact, in 1995 Starbucks introduced a program called, "Grounds for Your Garden". Their used coffee "Grounds for Your Garden" program offers customers complimentary five-pound (2.27-kilogram) bags of used coffee grounds for use in the garden to enrich your garden soil.

Another major coffee vendor, Peet's Coffee & Tea, strongly advocates recycling used coffee grounds for plants in your garden and touts the soil enhancing qualities of used coffee grounds as well - "... organic residues like used coffee grounds and tea leaves provide valuable nutrients and soil-amending capability."

So, yes! Coffee grounds in the garden are a great way to recycle and to promote healthy plant growth. Without a doubt, used coffee grounds are the perfect ingredient for your homemade organic fertilizer!

Composting With Used Coffee Grounds

Since used coffee grounds are an excellent source of nitrogen (an essential nutrient in helping your garden vegetables and plants grow) they make for a great organic compost ingredient.

Used coffee grounds also have a carbon to nitrogen ratio ranging from 20:1 to 25:1, making it an ideal composting ingredient.

Being a "green" nitrogen source like tea leaves, fresh grass clippings (not dried), old flowers, vegetable leftovers, animal manures, etc., used coffee grounds will kick-start your compost and speed up decomposition when combined with "brown" carbon components such as dry leaves, twigs, hay, straw, sawdust, ash, etc.

Used coffee grounds are acidic in nature, so don't be bashful in using them directly around acid-loving plants (Azaleas, Gardenias, Camellias, Magnolias, etc.) in your garden. Otherwise, be cautious in applying coffee grounds directly to your plants and soil to ensure that the acidity doesn't burn your plants.

Used coffee grounds, in addition to being nutrient rich in nitrogen, also contain phosphorus, potassium, calcium, copper, magnesium, and sulfer.

Used Coffee Grounds for Plants

As noted above, Starbucks gives us the opportunity to use their coffee grounds in the garden for free as an incentive for us to work together with them to take care of the environment by recycling the huge amount of used coffee grounds that they generate on a daily basis! The video below gives additional insight into their national policy of recycling used coffee grounds to use on plants in your garden. Worms are addicted to Starbucks' used coffee grounds, too!

Used Coffee Grounds as Fertilizer

Whether you use your own used coffee grounds leftover from your morning cup of joe or you pick up a bag of used coffee grounds from Starbucks, used coffee grounds in the garden do indeed make for great homemade organic fertilizer. Check out the video testimonial below to see the results of using coffee grounds in the garden as your go to homemade organic fertilizer.  The beneficial results of using used coffee grounds in the garden speak for themselves!

All Things Coffee in the News

More Environmentally Friendly Home, Garden, and Coffee Related Information

A Fun Way to Generate Used Coffee Grounds