I make a fair quantity of coffe grounds as a proportion of my kitchen
compost collection. Is it worth while to put them in a seperate
bucket and keep them for the tomato plants ? They will, of cource,
not be composted, just old coffee grounds.

For the number of tomato plants I put in, 12 - 18, I will have a pile
of grounds for each plant by June.

Should I mix grounds into the planting soil I use to start the seeds ?







--

a d y k e s @ p a n i x . c o m

Don't blame me. I voted for Gore.

Al Dykes said:

I make a fair quantity of coffe grounds as a proportion of my kitchen
compost collection. Is it worth while to put them in a seperate
bucket and keep them for the tomato plants ? They will, of cource,
not be composted, just old coffee grounds.

For the number of tomato plants I put in, 12 - 18, I will have a pile
of grounds for each plant by June.

I sometimes use uncomposted coffeegrounds as one ingredient in a mulch.
It is always mixed with shredded autumn leaves, and sometimes with leaves
and cocoa shells. Grounds by themselves tend to get dry and crusty on the
surface and very resistant to rewetting if you lay on more than a thin scatter.

As for mixing coffee grounds into the soil uncomposted, I've not done that.
I prefer to run them through the composting process first. Any uncomposted
material I do turn into the soil is done at least a couple of weeks before I
plant into it.

Should I mix grounds into the planting soil I use to start the seeds ?

I don't even mix compost into my seed-planting soil. And I wouldn't mix
uncomposted material into my transplant mix. I once bought a batch of
potting soil that had been made with what I suspect to have been
unfinished compost. It ended up going 'sour' and damaging my plants.
So my experience makes me leary of adding anything not thoroughly
composted and cured to anything I pot up.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

Al Dykes wrote:
I make a fair quantity of coffe grounds as a proportion of my kitchen
compost collection. Is it worth while to put them in a seperate
bucket and keep them for the tomato plants ? They will, of cource,
not be composted, just old coffee grounds.

no reason to. coffee is acid and about 0.5/0/0.5. You are better off
composting them with other stuff to reduce acidity and get a little
better nutrient profile. Also, tomatoes prefer relatively high P and K.
not a good marriage.


For the number of tomato plants I put in, 12 - 18, I will have a pile
of grounds for each plant by June.

Should I mix grounds into the planting soil I use to start the seeds
?

tomato seedlings are very resistant to damping off, but why tempt fate?
Just give them sterile seedling mix. If you have to give them compost,
pick one rich in P, which helps all seedlings.








--

a d y k e s @ p a n i x . c o m

Don't blame me. I voted for Gore.

il 18 Jan 2005 10:12:01 -0500, (Al Dykes) ha
scritto:

I make a fair quantity of coffe grounds as a proportion of my kitchen
compost collection. Is it worth while to put them in a seperate
bucket and keep them for the tomato plants ? They will, of cource,
not be composted, just old coffee grounds.

For the number of tomato plants I put in, 12 - 18, I will have a pile
of grounds for each plant by June.

Should I mix grounds into the planting soil I use to start the seeds ?

My coffee grounds are sometimes sprinkled around my acid loving
plants, like azaleas and carmellias. Ditto used diluted vinegar from
preserves. (waste not - want not.. ;-) Otherwise they get put in with
anything else composting. Failing that they get tossed out the
kitchen window to add to the humus next to the wall, which being next
to a wall is full of left over builders mix and rubbish and sorely in
need of dead plant matter The living plants don't seem to mind. A
large pile of grounds will go mouldy on its own I have discovered.
--
Cheers,
Loki [ Brevity is the soul of wit. W.Shakespeare ]