Coffee grinds

[Randy]

Ive read were coffee grinds can be mixed in your soil,but my wife just brought home like 80lbs of the stuff from her fav starbucks, now what the heck to do with all this used coffee grinds?? each late fall I always add stuff like old straw and alot of leaves and till garden,should add all them grinds?or make somekinda compost out of it? whats real scary is they throw that much or more away EVER day they told her was more weclome to take all we wanted,thats crazy amount of coffee just from one starbucks wow,im open for any sugestions
Randy

 

[Michibacy]

I believe it adds nitrogen to the soil, I'm not sure how long it stays in the soil before being washed away,gassing off, or degrading but I just rototill/plow it into the garden and let mother nature do her best

 

[johnlee1933]

When I drank coffee I just threw the grounds, paper and all, in the garden and spaded it in when the spirit moved me. It is my understanding it slightly acidifies the soil.

John

 

[oldsouth]

If I remember correctly it adds both nitrogen and acid - good for adjusting PH subtly. I do know it will change the color of hydrangea flowers, which are very sensitive to soil composition, so it mush affect the PH. Be sure to have a soil test done before amending the soil in any way.

 

[Michibacy]

Good point oldsouth, I suggest doing it every year if you're concerned about the chemical make up at all. Some growers (Bob was it you?) that doesn't add fertilizer, doesn't get a test done, just let's it grow to it's own desire.

Always good to add to a compost pile though!

 

[oldsouth]

I once bought some farmland and the owner showed me yearly yields and convinced me that it was the best land ever. I bought it on his records and couldn't even grow grass or hay. I found out he had failed to rotate his crops, only grew cotton and unloaded it once it was exhausted - just sprayed some sludge on it so it would green up that spring. I'll never buy land without a soil test again. Also, the tests on that land showed that the sludge he sprayed had high levels of heavy metals and other toxins in it. Now, I'm a BIG advocate of soil testing and all the other services the extension agency provides. In most areas, the extension agent loves farming and the land, spent years getting the degrees and qualifications to get the position... and farming is on such a decline that he has little to do that he enjoys. I've found them to be amazingly helpful... usually glad to share their knowledge and somewhat lonely and bored - glad to make a friend. I do always like to compare their advice to that of old farmers, as sometimes, book learning doesn't measure up to experience.

 

[Randy]

I belive will most to my new compsot pile for now util get my soil tested..its abt 5 years since had sent to UT for that soil anyls came back then "clay-silt limestone base slighlty akline"I forgot the exact details,I think its time for new one! thks all for info I googled it mostly talked abt making some kind of compost tea with other stuff.

Randy

 

[oldsouth]

I didn't know y'all in Middle TN had to send your samples to Knoxville - wow, y'all need some AG schools! Knoxville is about 1 and 1/12 hours from me in NC and what, 4 or 5 hours from you? UT is very good though and I would trust their results, which is more than I can say for NC State.

 

[Randy]

actully it went UT EXT at vol state abt 30-min north of here its like the UT commuity my youngest daughter actully goes there now.

 

[Markw]

I found that snails and slugs don't like the coarse grains of ground coffee and that the coffee also makes a good light mulch and nitrogen rich fertiliser for the plants. mind you I mixed it all up with old cigarette ends, that seamed to stop a midnight feast of my young plants.

Mark

 

[oldsouth]

Good to get rid of slugs... but snails are better caught and served on the plate! Seriously - I know lots of folks have an aversion to snails, but they are really just shellfish that adapted to live on land. Go out after a rain and grab as many as you can, feed them on flour for 24 hrs to clear their systems of anything funky. Do a little par-boil to take of the snail slime. Drain them. Pull the dead snails out of their shells and cook in butter and shallots with a bit of salt and pepper!

 

[Chicken]

sounds like you got a winner for a wife,

she's thinking of your growing,,,,the bacca

 

[Randy]

Yea she is chicken,we been RTO ciggs for few years now,the price of ciggs were killing-us,so starting next year Im under orders from her turn the back-yard into a new tobacco field .lol..of course we are still fighting on which tobacco to grow I want cigars,she wants ciggs..I will let you guess who will probily win that agurment..lol

Randy

 

[johnlee1933]

I found that snails and slugs don't like the coarse grains of ground coffee and that the coffee also makes a good light mulch and nitrogen rich fertiliser for the plants. mind you I mixed it all up with old cigarette ends, that seamed to stop a midnight feast of my young plants.

Mark

I never did exactly that but my memory says I accidentally came close. I'll try and remember it next spring. Thanks.

John

 

[Boboro]

Good to get rid of slugs... but snails are better caught and served on the plate! Seriously - I know lots of folks have an aversion to snails, but they are really just shellfish that adapted to live on land. Go out after a rain and grab as many as you can, feed them on flour for 24 hrs to clear their systems of anything funky. Do a little par-boil to take of the snail slime. Drain them. Pull the dead snails out of their shells and cook in butter and shallots with a bit of salt and pepper!

We got the big ass slugs hereI alwase thout a bout eat'in em. wife says hell no. but they just to easy to catch.

 

[oldsouth]

Geesh, not slugs! Snails only! Snails are the ones with shells on their backs - called "wall fish" in old English terminology.

 

[Randy]

Hey guys I know that dried molases is great to keep critters out of garden{esp ants we have them bad here}never knew coffee grinds could until now learn somthing new everyday they say.

Randy

edit:dried molases great boost to anything you can grow also

 

[Chicken]

it's good to hear your going to turn the backyard into a bacca patch,

....................................................................

have you started to prepare the area yet,?

is it a garden spot allready,? or is it just a grass covered back yard,?

 

[Randy]

Its already garden plot for years;we grown vegs and stuff for long time in the garden

 

[jeapadrenaline]

Randy, start a large compost with all that coffegrinds. Add grass, straw and even newspapers ( avoid glossy paper) anything that decomposes. I am trying to find a coffee shop around here that will save the grinds for me. If i could get 100 pounds or better every week i'd be happy. I also use all the manure from my rabbits. Should make a good addition to the garden.