How To Compost with Coffee New Mexico

Maybe you're one of many people trying to reduce the amount of trash you produce. Maybe you're wondering why your local coffee shop is giving away its waste coffee grounds to gardeners. Or maybe you're just looking for a free source of fertility for your garden. The answer to all three is that coffee grounds are easy to use in the garden, to make compost or as plant food.

1. Source your coffee grounds. If you can't function without a proper cup of coffee in the mornings, then you may well brew your own. If so then you have a ready supply of coffee grounds to use in the garden. If you're not a coffee drinker, or you don't have a coffee machine, then you'll have to hunt down a local coffee shop that gives its waste grounds away - or maybe there's a coffee machine at work you can empty.
2. Use them fresh. Because they're damp and full of nutrients, coffee grounds quickly start to go moldy. Moldy coffee grounds are still fine to use, but they don't look as nice so you may want to compost them instead of using them as a mulch.
3. Mulch. If you're after a low-maintenance garden, then you can simply toss your waste coffee grounds onto the soil as a mulch. Their dark color absorbs heat from the sun and can help the soil to warm up, and they'll add nutrients to the soil as they break down.
4. Deter pests. Another advantage of using coffee ground directly on the soil is that it can deter pests. Slugs and snails aren't fond of the caffeine or the gritty texture, and might go elsewhere for a munch. If you have a problem with cats using your garden as a litter box, then a coffee mulch can help to disguise the smell and encourage them to 'go' elsewhere. And if you've got access to a regular supply of coffee grounds, then it's worth experimenting to see whether the smell confuses carrot flies, and other pests that find their way to your plants by smell....

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Author: Emma Cooper