How Does Your Garden Grow… with Coffee
Over the past year, my husband and I have really grown to enjoy coffee; from visiting local coffee shops, touring coffee roasteries, and even pretending to be at home baristas, we have taken to the caffeine world like two parents who have three kids.
One thing that comes with consuming coffee (besides the caffeine goodness) is coffee grounds, and we have plenty of those, with a few to spare, for our garden.
On one of our coffee ventures, I took notice the coffee shop had used grounds at their entrance/exit, with a sign, “Free to a good home”—to be used in compost or for gardening. So I decided to dig a little bit and see what these special beans can do beyond the cup.
A little bit of Google, and I had my answer, plus a little encouragement to keep on drinking my daily cup of (rewarmed) coffee: Coffee grounds can be used for mulching, fertilizer, natural pesticide and more! Mind blown; time to brew a new cup, right?!
We begin saving our grounds last year. Once our espresso cools, or we empty the last of our cold brew, we place the grounds in a bowl by our sink; when the bowl fills up, we empty it throughout our garden. (Don’t worry, your peppers and peas don’t have added caffeine—they are still safe for the kiddos). We have good soil, but adding in the coffee grounds has defiantly perked things up, and this past garden year, we had a huge overabundance of everything we planted.
So when you brew your morning cup of joe (and rewarm it for the third time), remember to save those grounds, or if you have a larger garden, check your local coffee shop to inquire if you can get their used grounds.
Who knew drinking coffee could be so good for your garden?
Read more on specific ways to use your coffee grounds:
https://www.growveg.com/guides/a-common-sense-guide-to-using-coffee-grounds-in-the-garden/
Abi (a little bit crazy) Frazee, is a sort of newish, homeschooling momma with three little crazy Frazees. Abi, her husband, Justin & kiddos reside in the mountains of Southwestern Pennsylvania, and enjoy spontaneous field trips. Abi has a BA in Early Childhood Education, a MS in Special Education, and is a Certified Labor Doula; she uses her education, with past and present experiences to cultivate a love of learning & sharing. Love, Learn, Have Faith, Smile (& drink coffee!)
