Hey everyone! I'm a big fan of tea and coffee, and I've recently taken on a larger garden than I'm used to. I'm curious about what to do with my used coffee grounds and tea leaves. I have a compost bin that's working great, but I'm wondering if I should just toss them directly onto my raised beds or borders instead. Since I use an Aeropress, my coffee grounds are usually mixed with a thin paper filter. Would that be fine to add to the beds, or should I separate it out? Also, I've been pouring leftover cold tea onto my beds. Is that a good idea in moderation? Any advice would be appreciated—thanks!
5 Answers
Great to hear you’re getting so much input! Seems like composting is the way to go for most of it, but if you're ever feeling lazy, don’t fret too much about tossing a little directly onto the beds—just make sure to spread it out to prevent overloading any one plant with caffeine! Keep sharing the coffee love!
It's generally recommended to compost coffee grounds and tea leaves first before adding them to your garden. They can contain allelopathic properties that might harm some plants if applied directly. If you're looking for more info, there's an interesting thread discussing this!
You should really compost any solid waste first! Nutrients in the coffee grounds and tea leaves become available to plants only after they break down. Plus, if you add them directly to the soil, it can pull nitrogen from the ground while they decompose. Don’t worry too much about acidity though; you'd need a ton to affect your soil’s pH significantly.
I use coffee grounds to deter squirrels from digging up my garden. It works well to keep them off, but I can’t say it’s completely effective against snails—they seem to adore the trails over the coffee! Give it a shot for your own garden!
I toss my coffee grounds and tea leaves into my compost with veggie peels and all. I did try adding some directly to the plants before but found it easier (and safer) to just add everything to the compost bin—filters included!
Exactly! Brewed coffee is usually low in acidity since most of it gets extracted during brewing. I've been tossing whatever’s left over from my coffee directly onto my garden beds for years and it seems fine—my plants might even be hooked on caffeine now! ?