Keep Your Garden Perky Using Coffee Grounds

Don’t let those coffee grounds from your morning cup of joe go to waste! Coffee grounds can be used in several different ways to give your garden an extra spring in its step this season!

Coffee Mulch

Some plants really love acidic soil and will thrive when coffee grounds are used as a light mulch on top of their soil. A few examples include blueberry bushes, carrots, radishes, wild strawberries, hydrangeas, parsley, peppers, azaleas, and camellias. However, some plants don’t tolerate the high level of acidity that coffee brings, including tomatoes, black-eyed Susans, lavender, pothos, and rosemary.

Composted Coffee Grounds

Composting your coffee grounds is a great way to get every possible use out of them! Even though they’re brown in color, coffee grounds are considered a “green” in compost because it is a  good source of nitrogen, which compost piles need. Save up your coffee grounds and filters to add to your compost pile or bin along with your other green materials. Remember that you’re looking for a 1:3 ratio of green to brown materials.

Keep Pests Away

If you’re struggling to keep snails, slugs, or ants out of your garden, sprinkle a small trail of coffee grounds around the border of your garden. Not only do these critters dislike the smell of coffee, but the pebbly texture of the grounds will also physically inhibit them from munching on your bounty. Many folks also find that coffee grounds can keep stray cats away, too.

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Coffee Fertilizer

Who knew your morning coffee was so nutrient-dense? Coffee grounds are packed with nitrogen, phosphorus, copper, and magnesium, which plants like roses love. You can make a DIY liquid fertilizer for roses or other coffee-loving plants by steeping 1/2 pound of used coffee grounds in 5 gallons of water for a few days. After this fertilizer cold brew is finished, you can water your plants with it once a week or so during the growing season.