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Trash To Treasure

Coffee Grounds

13 years ago

What do you do with your used coffee grounds?

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Comments (10)

quidam2
13 years ago
I put them in the compost pile.
oldcrafty
13 years ago
are you thinking something creative can be made with them? As in using them like glitter without the shine....or to embed them in a cement project to give a different finish? Have never tried using them for anything...just toss them in the garbage....BUT there may be possibilities. It will be interesting to see some suggestions.
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coffee grounds vs. tea grounds
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"I hate top possibly sound stupid, but what would you use them on your lawn for. I have never heard of that." They provide organic matter and are also a mild fertilizer (about 1% - 2% N). Starbucks gives them away for free, so if there's a Starbucks convenient to you and you have a small lawn, you can take care of fertilizing the lawn for free. Since they're fairly low in N, they're not that practical for a large lawn.
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Dog, for most houseplants, you do not need to add anything to the potting soil. I'm sure you added the coffee grounds in an attempt to either give some acidness to the soil or possibly to thwart some bugs that might like to invade the soil....such as soil gnats. If you understand just why your houseplant is advised to use potting soil...and not garden soil, then you will understand that potting soil has everything in it to feed your plant for a time before the need to give outside food. Potting soil is "sterilized" to keep out such bacteria that could harm tender plants....including seedlings. By adding material that may defeat this "clean" mode of the soil, then is going against what you used the potting soil for. And, depending on just how much coffee grounds you gave the surface, such small amount of soil in the pot can easily have its pH taken to maybe too high a point that is not doing the plant any good. Any good houseplant potting soil has already in it what can feed the plant sufficiently in its young age and promotes proper growth. The trick though, is buying what is "good potting soil". There's a lot of garbage out there calling itself potting soil. but adding coffee grounds does not do whatever soil any good. After the plant has used what nutrition the potting soil initially had, then there are countless proper fertilizers on the shelves for our plants.
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Starbucks won't give coffee grounds Bay Area
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Comments (23)
The mold happens when they put the coffee into those foil bags and leave it out for too many days. This problem could be solved by only making the bags to order or storing them cold. The policy is they don't want people bothering them for grounds when it may interfere with the busy traffic of people buying coffee drinks. We don't pay for the grounds, so the grounds are moved to the low level of "unprofitable and therefore unimportant." This is what is wrong with the whole corporate model. The only way to change this would be for us to pay a small amount for the coffee grounds to upgrade them to a purchase. Right now, I am looking into independent stores rather then have to hassle argue and it all bend out of shape. If I find a good local coffee place that will give grounds. I will post it back here. The compost information sheet may be a good idea, but if they are really determined to never give them again such as the Westlake branch. I don't think showing the sheet will change their minds. The worse experience was at the Westlake branch. I went it there years ago, asked for coffee grounds. They said, they did not have any. I said, I would go to Walgreen's and come back so I did. When I came back, they said, we threw them out. I was so mad, I did fill out a complaint form and never heard back for corporate for such rude behavior. I used to buy a lot of coffee and mugs from Starbucks. I used to buy the black apron coffees, but they started to change a few year back and all the coffee beans were old, so I don't actually buy from Starbucks anymore. In the Starbucks hey day, I used to get coffee drinks, but now I am trying to cut down on caffeine and stomach acid caused from coffee. I used to like the Buena Vista Coffee from Costa Rico and the Coffee with the Elephant on the label that was grown in a special acid soil, and they don't have those anymore not for at least three years. I might buy them again if they would bring those back and if the beans were fresh. Pikes Place is horrible coffee. Sorry to go off topic, I just wanted to explain why I hardly ever buy things at Starbucks anymore.
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Some Advice on Coffee Grounds in Worm Bins
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Comments (3)
Another way to help trap that nitrogen is to add a little clay. The ammonia smell, I understand, is the nitrogen escaping. The microbes in the soil need a target to fix that nitrogen to and compost doesn't normally provide that unless there is soil mixed in it. A little clay will help your compost save that nitrogen more efficiently and increase the nutrient impact of your end product. This is based on classes I've taken through Growing Power in Milwaukee with an amazing guy named Joel. Hope it helps!
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sorie6 zone 6b
13 years ago
Compost!! I also just throw them in the garden or on the grass the worms love coffee grounds.
kellied
13 years ago
Compost, topdress acid-loving plants such as rhodies and blueberries, sprinkle them in garden areas where the cats like to go as it deters them. Rake into the lawn.

My niece gave me 40 pounds of used grounds for Christmas one year. Loved it!!
concretenprimroses
13 years ago
What a riot about your niece kellied!
Now you make me think I should collect any of my nieghbors' who don't have compost. It is wonderful for the compost, and I didn't know about it deterring cats.
Has anyone put them in concrete? I'm wondering if it would make a nice color.
Kathy
toomuchglass
13 years ago
I didn't know you could just sprinkle them on the lawn .We go through tons of coffee .I might have to start
recycling the grounds .
kellied
13 years ago
The earthworms love them. I also broadcast them under my evergreen trees, till them into the veggie garden (they are chock full of nutrients).

Starbucks bags and gives away their used grounds to anyone who wants them.
quidam2
13 years ago
Thanks ltrent for the question. It got me thinking about what I could do artistically with coffee grounds and I did a small trial.

I put wood glue on a small piece of a pine block I had, put the coffee grounds on it, and then spray painted it with two coats. I can see the potential there for some fun stuff. I am looking for a project to do with it.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}
toomuchglass
13 years ago
great texture. There's a bunch of possibilities there !
organizedsarah
13 years ago
My daughter has a lovely, thriving worm colony creating beautiful castings for her. We often toss coffee grounds into the vermicompost bin and you can practically see the worms SALUTE! They just love 'em!

I also put them by the bucket full on my compost pile (I get them from a local espresso stand). They're filled with nutrients and are a great addition to my compost.

Rhododendrons are our state flower and I have several big Rhody's in my yard which also LOVE the acid from coffee grounds!

My daughter also puts dried, used coffee grounds in bags and makes "tea bags" as gifts for friends...they use them to brew up tea for watering their roses. (She also puts worm castings in similar bags as gifts for her gardening buddies to make worm tea.)

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