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If You're Not Gardening With Coffee Grounds, You're Doing
It Wrong
By JEANA HARRIS
Next time you brew a cup of coffee, hold onto the grounds, as coffee is the gift that keeps on giving. Not only does it transform us from our zombie states into functioning adults every morning, but it can be an incredible nutrient for your garden.
Start by adding the coffee grounds to your compost, and they'll get to work improving the nitrogen levels. Once you add the compost to a hole or mix it in with your mulch, the extra nitrogen will reach your plants and contribute to their healthy growth.
Many people choose to add the grounds directly to their soil in the garden, essentially treating it as a fertilizer, which is believed to help with drainage and aeration of the soil. Coffee grounds can also provide all-natural pest control against slugs and snails, so try sprinkling a ring of grounds around the perimeter of the plants you want to safeguard.
Coffee grounds are acidic, so you want to avoid adding them to your garden if you’re growing tomatoes, geraniums, alfalfa, or clover, as it can stunt their growth and impact seed germination. Additionally, add coffee grounds sparingly, as too much of a good thing can quickly turn bad, and make sure to spread them evenly.