Heya, I'm back for the season now that school's out, and I stumbled across
something interesting my mom picked up the other day so I thought I'd post.


If you have a Starbucks nearby, stop in and see if they'll give you their
used coffee grounds. Ours is handing out bags full of them free for
fertilizing plants, and it seems to be doing a good job. Or, I suppose you
could save your own used coffee.
According to the label, the brewing process removes most of the acidity so
it's got a pH of about 6.9, and the carbon-nitrogen ratio is 20:1. You can
add it directly to the garden near nitrogen-loving plants, along with brown
materials like leaves. Or, you can add it to your compost and use it within
two or three weeks.

--
-Jill S.

"Jill S" wrote in message
.. .
Heya, I'm back for the season now that school's out, and I stumbled across
something interesting my mom picked up the other day so I thought I'd
post.


If you have a Starbucks nearby, stop in and see if they'll give you their
used coffee grounds. Ours is handing out bags full of them free for
fertilizing plants, and it seems to be doing a good job. Or, I suppose you
could save your own used coffee.
According to the label, the brewing process removes most of the acidity so
it's got a pH of about 6.9, and the carbon-nitrogen ratio is 20:1. You can
add it directly to the garden near nitrogen-loving plants, along with
brown
materials like leaves. Or, you can add it to your compost and use it
within
two or three weeks.

--
-Jill S.

Coffee grounds and steeped tea leaves are old-fashioned additives that can
be worked in to improve the soil.

"Jill S" wrote in message ...
Heya, I'm back for the season now that school's out, and I stumbled across
something interesting my mom picked up the other day so I thought I'd post.


If you have a Starbucks nearby, stop in and see if they'll give you their
used coffee grounds. Ours is handing out bags full of them free for
fertilizing plants, and it seems to be doing a good job. Or, I suppose you
could save your own used coffee.
According to the label, the brewing process removes most of the acidity so
it's got a pH of about 6.9, and the carbon-nitrogen ratio is 20:1. You can
add it directly to the garden near nitrogen-loving plants, along with brown
materials like leaves. Or, you can add it to your compost and use it within
two or three weeks.

Lucky you.

I used to go by the local Starbucks daily, politely inquiring about
the offer. The answer was always, "Sorry, we just gave away our last
bag." After a while it became, "You again?" Yes, it's me again! I
still haven't got my #&@!^!)( grounds!

There is another thread along these lines (on a Composting message
board) where I spell out my sob story, but the bottom line is that I
am not impressed. The corporation has done the right thing with the
idea, but there is no mandate to the local stores to do this, and that
translates to "do it if you feel like it." Tell that to a teenager
that serves $5 cups of coffee for a living, and whay would you expect?

It's surprising because other stores that serve coffee and do not
advertise anything of the sort go out of their way to give you used
grounds when you ask for them.

This probably isn't a whole lot of help but if you search the archives for this
group you'll find a thread about coffee grounds. Someone posted some pretty
good information about coffee grounds not having much left in the way of
nutrients because they'd all been leached out. Still makes your garden smell
nice though. And adds some bulk to your soil I suppose.

Laura B.

I used to go by the local Starbucks daily, politely inquiring about
the offer. The answer was always, "Sorry, we just gave away our last
bag." After a while it became, "You again?" Yes, it's me again! I
still haven't got my #&@!^!)( grounds!

There is another thread along these lines (on a Composting message
board) where I spell out my sob story, but the bottom line is that I
am not impressed. The corporation has done the right thing with the
idea, but there is no mandate to the local stores to do this, and that
translates to "do it if you feel like it." Tell that to a teenager
that serves $5 cups of coffee for a living, and whay would you expect?

It's surprising because other stores that serve coffee and do not
advertise anything of the sort go out of their way to give you used
grounds when you ask for them.

(Thalocean2) wrote in message ...
This probably isn't a whole lot of help but if you search the archives for this
group you'll find a thread about coffee grounds. Someone posted some pretty
good information about coffee grounds not having much left in the way of
nutrients because they'd all been leached out. Still makes your garden smell
nice though. And adds some bulk to your soil I suppose.

Laura B.


No, actually it is help. I love the archives. The archives taught me
that the thing I though was a cute little yellow version of a ladybug
was actually an evil beast that killed my cucumber crop (all three
plants). I should taken action rather than thinking it was just
snacking on aphids... Arrrgh! My poor cucumer plants!

I realize this is probably poppycock, but I am told that earthworms
are fond of coffee grounds. If that is true, then even if they are
not as nutrient-rich as most believe, then they would be of some
value.

And admittedly, as repulsive as I find the beverage, I admit the
grounds do smell nice.

There's a Starbucks next to my subway stop. For about a year now, on my way
home from work, I stop by and pick up the grounds. About 20 pounds a day,
from the expresso machine, and no trash or filters. The manager said that
in a few months Starbucks will begin putting their coffee grounds in special
bags and leaving them by the front door for people in the neighborhood to
pick up. But since I'm their regular coffee pickerupper, they'll save the
bags for me inside. The problem becomes having too much coffee. Not a
really bad problem. Like having too much compost.

--
Compostman
Washington, DC
Zone 7
"Jill S" wrote in message
.. .
Heya, I'm back for the season now that school's out, and I stumbled across
something interesting my mom picked up the other day so I thought I'd
post.


If you have a Starbucks nearby, stop in and see if they'll give you their
used coffee grounds. Ours is handing out bags full of them free for
fertilizing plants, and it seems to be doing a good job. Or, I suppose you
could save your own used coffee.
According to the label, the brewing process removes most of the acidity so
it's got a pH of about 6.9, and the carbon-nitrogen ratio is 20:1. You can
add it directly to the garden near nitrogen-loving plants, along with
brown
materials like leaves. Or, you can add it to your compost and use it
within
two or three weeks.

--
-Jill S.