Have you given much thought to your coffee grounds? They can make a great cup of coffee but what about beyond your morning coffee?
A lot of us drink coffee in the morning. We like to use an old fashioned percolator. (you can see it here) There are people who drink coffee all day, and use keurig coffee pods. And, those one cup coffee makers are a big thing, too. Just one cup of coffee at a time and it reduces waste. Either way, there are coffee grounds used. A flavorful hot beverage is made. Sometimes, the coffee grounds are just tossed in the garbage without another thought.
It turns out there is much more to coffee grounds than just a hot beverage. They are actually very beneficial in the garden.
So before you throw out those coffee grounds, check out these seven creative uses for coffee grounds in the garden:
Repel pests.
No one wants pests such as ants, snails, or slugs. In the garden, they can be destructive. To keep these critters away, sprinkle coffee grounds around your plants. Just a light sprinkling around the base is fine. Repeat after a heavy rain.
Speed up your composting.
We use a lot of chicken poop in our compost. Kitchen scraps, especially coffee grounds work wonders in speeding up the compost process. They are high in carbon, which helps to break down leaves and other “brown” compost material. Our coffee grounds will often go into our compost bucket and is just regularly dumped with other scraps. The chickens scratch through the grounds to find what they want.
Feed the worms.
Worms find coffee grounds to be a particularly tasty treat. Having worms in your garden is good for plants. They help provide nutrients for the plants and keep the soil areated. Coffee grounds attract them and helps them thrive.
Use them to help brighten blossoms.
Acid-loving plants such as hydrangeas, rhododendrons, azaleas, and roses love coffee grounds. Sprinkle the coffee grounds, along with grass clippings or dried leaves around your plants. Coffee grounds in water, spread around blueberry bushes, will help them thrive as well.
Help make Hydrangeas bloom a bright blue.
Using coffee grounds around hydrangeas will increase the acidity level of the soil. High levels of acid in the soil helps the blooms become a more vibrant blue.
Use coffe ground to help create a chemical free cockroach trap.
Fill a can or a jar with several inches of damp coffee grounds. Line the neck with double sided tape. The coffee ground smell draws in the cockroaches and they can’t get out. This is great for trapping those pests without chemicals that can harm your pets.
Give plants a nitrogen boost.
Fortify your plants by sprinkling coffee grounds into the soil or by mixing them into a water can. Coffee grounds help provide needed nitrogen for the soil. Many plants need extra nitrogen in order to really thrive and grow. This may help boost your harvest!
Next time you make a cup of coffee, remember all of these creative uses for the coffee grounds in the garden. Boost your garden and your compost! Enjoy your coffee, knowing you can put the grounds to good use!
What other creative uses for coffee grounds can you think of? Be sure to pin this for later!
the post first appeared on thehomesteadinghippy.com See it here
