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Montoursville, PA

How can coffee grounds be so good? Well now let's take a look.

Coffee grounds have a lower carbon to nitrogen ratio than manure. The carbon to nitrogen ratio is about 12/1 while manure is around 15/1. If you feel obcessed to play with the NPK numbers they would be something like 2-.5-.2. The potassium level is variable from one batch to the next but is low and never a problem.

You may add coffee grounds directly to your garden as well as to your compost where they will serve to help break down the components of compost. How many? Lots!

An ideal C/N ratio, for compost, is 35/1. Coffee grounds will help adjust leaves at 50/1 down to a more desirable ratio as one example of what takes place.

The worst thing that could happen is the PH could drop a percentage tenth of a point or so yearly which is similar to the drop seen in normal growing. It would take a mighty hefty add on of coffee to cause any visable change attributed directly to the coffee. A touch of lime or other PH adjusting element would be called for in your fall soil test.

But the above is only the small picture. Coffee grounds hold water by adding instant humus. Coffee grounds are the favorite food of earth worms. Earth worms poop casts the highest valued fertilizer in the world. They create their weight in casts daily. So play with your pencil a little.
There is no reason why your natural worm population could not create a percentage point or two of your soil volume without to much effort..........but you need to keep the synthetic chemicals off their backs so they can increase in health and numbers.

So coffee grounds are a win, win, win situation. Coffee grounds are at least as good as manure flying right out of the producer's butt. Yes and yea I say unto you they do smell better too. :) Yes they are! But do not forget to look beyond the NPK to the bacteria source which no coffee maker can supply. You still need the manures.

4/30/2004 11:27:05 AM

Roanoke Il

very good doc

4/30/2004 11:37:04 AM

Tipp City, Ohio

Appreciate the info. Is there a difference with decaf or flavored coffee grounds???

4/30/2004 1:32:51 PM

Grants Pass, Oregon

Can you add the coffee grounds right into the spot where I will plant ?

4/30/2004 3:49:08 PM

Montoursville, PA

Spent or used coffee grounds are more or less equal. They can be worked into the patch anytime. We are getting one hundred wet pounds a day. The grounds and filters are all going to the compost pile to work against the leaves we have left over from last fall. I can think of no reason why coffee grounds should not be added to to the patch anytime you can work them into your patch. Even the strainers can go too but they blow around if not covered with soil.

So Carrie have right at it. Feed those worms some good stuff.

4/30/2004 7:56:44 PM

Ohio

And to think ive been throwing away coffee grounds for years:)

4/30/2004 8:47:54 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

recommended food for starting worm farms are coffee grinds and peat moss...hmmmmm...but thanks for all fert/PH info doc!

4/30/2004 11:19:42 PM

nanaimo,B.C,Canada

Ya Doc,totally agree,started adding piles off coffee grounds from starbucks in my compost in early spring and have the best looking compost i Have ever had. Loads and loads of red wigglers.

Dave

5/1/2004 5:35:08 AM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

I added over 600 lbs of coffee grounds to my patch this year and thought that I had overdone it. The worms proved me wrong and ate all of it. I'll be adding more next fall and through the winter as my local starbucks is happy to save me a bag full every day. I spread it on the top and then use my rake or garden claw to get it under the surface.

Glenn

5/1/2004 12:35:59 PM

Montoursville, PA

The piles of red wigglers is interesting. This tells me I am simply not getting enough oxygen by not turning enough or inserting enough vents.

I am trying to get the pile temperature up to 140 degrees and hold it there. I have apparently not added enough manures and or coffee grounds in enough volume to heat it that well. I still have the gray worms of the garden variety and the night crawlers both of which can not survive in good areobic compost. I want to see the red ones return!!!

My pile is a couple of tons and has to turn by hand. I may have to go to a smaller better managed pile to get aerobic compost.

Patience my son patience....I never knew the difference until recently. I can't have everything I want yesterday either. :) The lesson: "It's a process of learning".

5/1/2004 2:49:18 PM

Montoursville, PA

My coffee grounds supply house has been giving me an average of one hundred pounds a day for the past two weeks.
That was 1400 pounds every two weeks last time I checked. I'm guessing a little but the estimate is not far off. Three and four five gallon buckets full daily has been the take.

We have three or four growers who will work on that supply so it may not be an excess. Those grounds can be broadcast to any lawn and garden use...not just pumpkin patches.

Let this serve as fair warning. Know what you might get if you ask. I ask a most active coffee shop. I have lots of use for it and five guys willing to help use it.

5/2/2004 6:58:14 PM

Canada

Between last fall and the last week in March Id have to say i dumped in a good 2 garbage bags if not more of coffe grounds into my Patch number 1, we go threw ALLOT of coffe at work and every night id take all the coffe grounds and
save it up till i have a bucket full. usually after a week i had a good bucket full it got poured into the patch and then dug in. Egg shells are another good additive mind you they take FOREVER to break down but are good for the patch as well Ive probably added a good grocery bag full of eggshells to my patch as well. Other years i always used
boxed granular fertilizers but this year its going to be all organic. Only boxed stuff ive added is Blood and Bone meal but that was applied both in the fall and then again in the spring. once the pumpkings take off i'll probably add another good shot of blood and bone meal in the summer
after plants have set and will continue to put coffe grounds in dureing the summer months.

5/8/2004 2:56:00 PM