Are coffee grounds good for your garden and compost?

Did you know that coffee can be a great pick-me-up for your plants as well as yourself?
Well, here at Gaggia UK Direct we want to make sure our products are as environmentally friendly as possible … and with coffee grounds only going as far as your garden then we reckon that’s a box ticked.

According to the BBC’s Gardeners World magazine: “Coffee grounds are an excellent compost ingredient and are fine to apply directly onto the soil around most garden plants if used with care and moderation.” 

Coffee’s a good fertiliser because coffee grounds are rich in nutrients, particularly nitrogen, and also contain potassium and phosphorous.

But spread it as a thin layer so it shares the nutrients around - don’t just chuck it on your garden in clumps. If you do that the grounds will clog together in a big blob of coffee, stopping water and air from getting to plant roots.

You could always just pop your Gaggia coffee grounds into your compost bin where they will just naturally rot, adding nutrients to your homemade compost which is an effective way to grow healthy plants. Obviously don’t overdo it – keep the coffee to under 25% of the overall compost of what you’d normally throw in there such as vegetable and fruit scraps along with leaves.

This will all break down into great compost over time as the rain and sunshine hits it.
It saves throwing your coffee away in the kitchen bin and some people even pour their coffee grounds down the sink where it could ultimately block the pipes.
When the soil is turned over the coffee grounds will then be fully recycled back into the soil.

Coffee is slightly acidic so it’s good to use with plants that like acidic soil such as hydrangeas, azaleas and lilies and root crops such as radishes and carrots, especially when mixed with soil at planting time.

It’s even suggested that coffee grounds can repel slugs as they don’t like the caffeine or gritty texture so it may be worth spreading them around the plants that slugs tend to target.

Be aware that caffeine is toxic to dogs and, although very little caffeine will be left once you’ve brewed your coffee, it’s probably best to work it into the soil or put it in your compost bin if you have a nosey pooch that’ll eat anything.

Some say coffee grounds repel cats and put them off using your flower and vegetables patches as an outdoor litter box. If so, that’s a bonus. 

The website Gardening Know How suggests making a coffee ground ‘garden tea’ by mixing a couple of cups of coffee grounds in a five-gallon water can, leave overnight and then use it as a liquid fertilizer.

Some say they’re a great fertilizer for tomatoes while others are not so sure. It’s also suggested coffee grounds work well with cabbages, fruit trees, roses and camellias but not on beans. It’s even thought that coffee grounds will deter weeds.

Like everything, it’s all down to trial and error and, as time goes on, you’ll discover which parts of your garden like your used Gaggia coffee grounds best.
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Happy gardening but don’t forget to keep stopping for a nice cup of Gaggia coffee.
Your plants will blooming well love you for it!