7 Great Ways to Use Coffee Grounds in the Garden (2024)

Using coffee grounds as a way to help plantsgrow is a popular concept. Coffee lovers everywhere can get value from theirused-up grounds by incorporating them into their gardens. There are even coffeeshops that give away used coffee grounds for free to avoid having to haul themaway.

Here are 7 great ways you can use coffeegrounds in the garden:

1. In Composting
2. As Fertilizer
3. As Mulch
4. As Pest Control
5. To Prevent Harmful Fungus
6. To Grow Beautiful Roses
7. To Boost Your Carrot Harvest

There are plenty of benefits to using yourcoffee grounds in your garden instead of just tossing them in the trash. Thereare also some precautions every gardener should be aware of before simplythrowing coffee grounds to their plants.

Disclaimer: Hi! this post may contain affiliate links which will take you to online retailers that sell products and services. If you click on one and buy something, I may earn a commission, see myAffiliate Disclosurefor more details.

Read below to find out more about thedifferent ways to use coffee grounds in your garden. You will also learn how itcan help or harm your plants, which plants do the best with coffee grounds, andwhat other food waste you should be using in your garden.

Use Coffee Grounds in YourCompost

Coffee grounds make a fantastic organicmaterial to add to your compost bin or pile to give it a nice kick in theenergy department.

While they may be brown colour, coffee grounds are actually what is referred to as green material in compost. Green material is the part of compost that adds the nitrogen needed for the compost to heat and decompose properly. Used biodegradable coffee filters can be composted as well.

Make sure when you add something as nitrogen-richas coffee grounds to your compost that you balance it out properly with brownmaterials. If you have too much nitrogen in your compost then you could end upwith a terrible smell, overheating, and compost that isn’t breaking down as itshould.

It’salso possible to use coffee grounds in vermicomposting, a type of compostingthat relies on worms to aid in the breakdown process.When you add coffee grounds to your vermicomposting bin, you should be cautiousof adding too much. You don’t want to harm your worms.

When you add your coffee grounds to yourvermicompost, make sure to mix it with other kitchen waste such as banana peelsand vegetable scraps. Your worms should have no trouble going through them, andthey will love them.

Use Coffee Grounds as Fertilizer

If you’re planning to throw your coffeegrounds in with your compost, chances are you’re already planning to use it asfertilizer. However, there are ways you can use coffee grounds as fertilizerwithout composting them first.

You can work some used coffee grounds into thesoil around the stem of the plants. This is especially useful for green leafyplants that are heavy feeders like tomatoes and squash.

Thinly sprinkle some coffee grounds on top ofyour garden soil just to offer it those extra nutrients. Remember that the nutrients won’t be present immediately after you addthe coffee grounds. They have to begin breaking down before anything isreleased.

If you want a different way to use your coffeegrounds as fertilizer, you can steep 2 cups of coffee grounds in 5 gallons ofwater overnight to create a liquid fertilizer to pour into your garden. It isalso good for bottling and spraying on leaves and stems to help feed them.

Coffee grounds act as a slow-releasefertilizer when mixed into or sprinkled on top of your soil. They offerimportant nutritional value to your plants over time so that they can grow bigand strong.

Use Coffee Grounds as Mulch

Because it is easy to get coffee grounds inrather large quantities, whether by drinking a lot of coffee or picking up usedcoffee grounds from coffee shops, it makes the perfect organic candidate formulching.

When you use coffee grounds as mulch, you haveto be extremely careful with how much you are laying down. Thick blankets of coffee grounds can suppress your plant growth andeven starve your plants of the water they need. Coffee grounds tend toclump together and create a barrier that has the opposite effect of what youwant for your garden.

The solution to these problems is to mix yourcoffee grounds with other organic materials to discourage them from becoming tothickly compacted on top of your garden. Using leafmold is a good option to mixwith coffee grounds to make a good mulch for your plants.

Coffee grounds can also be useful for spotmulching. Add a 1/2 inch thick layer of coffee grounds on top of whateverorganic mulch you already use around your coffee-loving plants. This will helpprovide them with even more nutrients.

Use Coffee Grounds as PestControl

If you have a problem with slugs and snails inyour garden, coffee grounds may be a good way to keep them at bay. It is saidthat the caffeine that remains in the coffee grounds repels these little pests.It may also be due to the texture potentially damaging their soft bodies.

As another plus, coffee grounds make a naturalrepellant for cats. They don’t like the smell of coffee grounds and will bediscouraged from using your garden as a bathroom. It is also said they may keeprabbits from munching on your vegetables.

Sprinklea circle around your plants or a barrier around the edge of your garden usingcoffee grounds. They may lend a hand to keepingharmful pests out of your garden and keep your plants safe and sound.

Use Coffee Grounds to PreventHarmful Fungus

Research shows that coffee grounds cannaturally help prevent certain types of fungus and wilts in your plants. The natural fungus colonies in decomposingcoffee grounds help fight off the types of fungus that cause harm in yourgarden.

If you are growing plants that are moresusceptible to wilts like peppers and eggplants, it may benefit you toincorporate some coffee grounds in the planting process. Throw a little bitinto the hole before transplanting so that they have a better chance of stayinghealthy.

Use Coffee Grounds to GrowBeautiful Roses

When combined with banana peels, coffeegrounds can result in beautiful blooming roses that any gardener would be proudof. Like with any plant, coffee grounds provide nutrients and nitrogen that aidin plant growth.

The banana peels give the roses a boost of potassium which strengthens their immune system and keeps them alive in tougher climates. A lack of potassium can lead to weak stems, discolouration on leaves, and underdeveloped buds.

It is best to incorporate the banana peels atplanting by placing some of it in the hole under the rose plant. Once your rosebush is in place, dig some coffee grounds into the soil around it to give itthat punch of nutrition. This combination can help lead you to award-winningblooms.

Use Coffee Grounds to Boost YourCarrot Harvest

Carrotsand other root vegetables love coffee grounds. Theycan lead to a better harvest if they are implemented during planting to givethe carrots lots of nutrients.

You can work your coffee grounds into the soilwhere you plan to plant your carrots, giving them a nice place to germinate.You can also put dry coffee grounds in a cup along with your carrot seeds andshake it all up. Sprinkle the mixture of coffee grounds and carrot seeds intorows in your garden and let them grow.

Plantingradishes along with your carrots is always a good recommendation. Radishes love coffee grounds as well and germinate much faster thancarrots. This can help to mark your rows more easily in the beginning.

Coffee Grounds and Houseplants

For some people, it’s not possible to have afull garden outside, but that doesn’t mean those coffee grounds are useless. Ifyou have plants sitting around your home, you can just as easily use yourcoffee grounds to provide them with some extra nutrition.

If youdo want to add your used coffee grounds to your houseplants, don’t overdo it. You don’t have to throw a ton on top of the potting soil to affect. Infact, too much could harm your plants.

Put your coffee grounds in with youracid-loving houseplants and don’t water them unless the soil is dry to thetouch. You don’t want them to get too much water or cause the coffee grounds tomake the soil too acidic.

Coffee grounds are most effective when planting large house plants. Spread a layer about 1/2 inch thick on top of the soil and then cover that in about 4 inches of your favourite mulch to help keep everything aerated properly. If you put a layer that’s too thick, the coffee grounds could lock together and prevent your plant from getting water.

Coffee Loving Plants

Not all plants can stand up to the strength ofcoffee grounds in the soil, but others are more than happy with the additionalnutrition. If you’re concerned about your plants and whether or not coffee groundswould be good for them, it’s best to look into it beforehand.

Because coffee grounds tend to raise the phlevel of the soil, any acid-loving plants are going to thrive from the use ofthem.

PlantsThat Love Coffee:

• Azaleas
• Blueberries
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cranberries
• Currants
• Daffodils
• Elderberries
• Fruit Trees
• Gardenias
• Holly
• Hydrangeas
• Lilies
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Parsley
• Peppers
• Potatoes
• Radishes
• Rhododendrons
• Soybeans
• Squash
• Strawberries
• Sugar Beets
• Sweet Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Turnips

Benefits of Coffee Grounds inGardening

It’s clear that your garden makes a welcominghome for your leftover coffee grounds. If you were wondering what good they canalongside your plants, here are some ways they can benefit your garden.

Theyhelp the soil hold more water. It can be difficult forplants to get enough water in super dry places or in times of drought. Addingcoffee grounds to the soil can improve its water retention, meaning it will beable to hold more water and hold it longer. Because of this, the plants will beable to grow better with less watering.

Theyattract worms to your garden. Earthworms are fantasticl*ttle helpers in your garden, even if you don’t know it. They tunnel throughthe soil and create natural channels for oxygen and water to flow. Earthwormsalso help break down organic materials and leave behind nutrients that areextremely beneficial to plants.

Theykeep the soil from being too compact. It’s importantfor there to be aeration in your soil so that the roots of your plants can geteverything they need from it. Incorporating coffee into your soil breaks up anypotential compacting and keeps space open for your plants to grow as theyshould.

Theyprovide drainage of excess water. If there is too muchwater just sitting around, it can lead to a greater risk of diseases in yourplants. Coffee grounds help in breaking down the soil so that there is enoughspace for extra water to drain away after the plants have all they need.

Theywon’t end up in a landfill. Because you’re giving yourused coffee grounds a new life instead of throwing them away, they won’t end upin a landfill where most of the waste is already made up of thrown out food. Nomatter how small the amount, it still benefits the environment to recycle yourcoffee grounds.

Warnings About Using CoffeeGrounds for Gardening

With all of the tips and benefits to addcoffee grounds to your garden, there will always be precautions as well. Somepeople swear off using coffee grounds to grow their plants at all. If you arethinking of using your leftover coffee grounds for gardening, there are a fewthings you should keep in mind.

Theleftover caffeine could harm other plants. The reasoncoffee plants evolved to have caffeine in the first place was to keep otherplants from growing in the same area they were. There will always be caffeinein even used coffee grounds, which may have adverse effects on the plants youare trying to grow.

Theymake the soil more acidic. Where some plants areconcerned, this is awesome. However, not all plants can grow and thrive inacidic soil. Be sure to find out if your plants enjoy acidic soil or not beforethrowing your spent coffee grounds in with them.

Theycould be harmful to your dog. If you have a dog thatloves to roam about and sample new things, you should be careful about leavingcoffee grounds laying over your garden plot. It’s best to mix them into the soilwell enough to avoid consumption or add them into compost instead.

Other Leftovers to Use in YourGarden

Along with used coffee grounds, there are anumber of other leftovers that may benefit your garden and help your plantsgrow. If you don’t want to throw everything out, here are some other things youcan use in your garden.

Eggshells may be fragile, but they are nutrient powerhouses where plants areconcerned. Eggshells provide your garden with calcium, magnesium, potassium,iron, and phosphorus. All of these things are incredibly important to healthyplant growth, making eggshells an amazing addition to any garden.

Orangepeels, as well as other citrus peels, are perfect forgardening. As they decompose, these peels will add nitrogen, phosphorus, andpotassium to the soil for your plants. They are also excellent for pest controlas they can destroy the waxy coating on ants and suffocate them.

Bananapeels make a wonderful natural fertilizer for yourgarden. When they are buried, they decompose quickly and release potassium,calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. These nutrients are essential to healthyplant growth. Bananas are also useful in keeping pests away.

Usingnut shells as mulch can help keep everything nice and aerated. They don’tbreak down as quickly as most other things so they will be around for a longtime to help out.

Leftovers from peppers can be blended, strained, and mixed with water in a spraybottle to be used as a pest repellant. Just spray the mixture on your plants tokeep unwanted pests at bay.

Blended vegetablescraps make wonderful food for plants like tomatoes and peppers that areconsidered heavy feeders. Using any vegetable leftovers for new plant food mayincrease your harvest.

Even Used Coffee Grounds Can BeValuable

Coffee is such a popular drink, and making italways leaves behind the spent remains of all those coffee grounds. Theselittle beauties still hold value even after providing you with the caffeine youneed to get going every day.

If youare growing acid-loving plants in your garden, those coffee grounds are a greatway to give them an extra boost of nutrients. Usingcoffee grounds as fertilizer can help your soil retain water more effectivelyand keep it nice and aerated, so your plants have all they need to grow strongand healthy.

Coffee grounds in gardening are debated but often touted as being a valuable asset that most people already have on hand every morning. Chances are throwing them to your plants are going to make them just as happy as that cup of coffee makes you. It’s definitely worth giving it a try.

More Coffee Articles