Friday Finds: Coffee Grounds in the Garden

Today's "find" is using Coffee Grounds in the garden!

I usually keep a small bowl on the counter lined with a plastic bag (like a Walmart bag) and to empty my grounds into, then I dump the wet grounds into a 10 x 13 foil pan, shake it to spread them out and let them dry  in the sun. I find them easier to sprinkle over soil if they're dry.

I understand you can ask Starbucks for used grounds and they'll give you a large quantity---good if you want a lot.

Things to Do with Coffee Grounds:
*  Sprinkling grounds over the surface of soil around Hostas and other garden plants is a great deterrent for snails & slugs, who don't like the texture.

*  Dig grounds (wet or dry) into the soil in around any acid-loving plants: Azaleas, Roses, Hydrangeas, Camellias, Blueberries & Citrus Trees. Mostly for a nitrogen boost to your soil. Looser soil also attracts earthworms, who enrich the soil.

*  Make your own liquid feeder "tea" for your plants by dumping grounds into a bucket of water, let it stand a couple days, then strain and use the liquid for watering.

* If you're a composter, add them to your compost. Coffee filters are biogradable nowadays, so you can throw them in, too.

* Sprinkle dried grounds over wood mulch or combine with your lawn mower mulch you're planning on applying to beds to help inhibit weed growth.

* The smell of coffee grounds combined with chopped orange peels sprinkled over the garden or flower beds is recommended as a potential cat deterrent--meaning it could work for some cats, maybe not every cat. 
*****
(I collected these suggestions from other blogs on the topic, though I use a couple myself.)