With homegrown gardens popping up everywhere and organic not just a buzzword, but a way of life for many, why not join in on the lifestyle of the green warriors and save money, while growing some amazing homegrown veggies…With this tip, you can successfully use your old coffee grounds as a fertilizer for your plants or garden.
Now, I have heard the stories of many using different methods with thier grounds as a fertilizer, but after some own trial and error, and with guidance of fellow coffeeheads and websites, I have figured out the best option.
The best use for the coffee grounds comes in form of compost. You can simply add the coffee grounds to your compost bin/pile along with other organic material such as tree clippings, leaves, etc. Before your pile begins to compost and generate heat, it is important to create layers to help the composting process. If you add 30lbs of used coffee grinds, and 3 leaves, this will not compost successfully. There need to be equal parts of “browns” and “greens”. Browns include such things as leaves, twigs, and branches, while Greens include coffee grounds, grass clippings, vegtable waste, etc. By having the correct ratios of each, enough Carbon is provided by the browns and the greens provide the nitrogen. Add water to this and it will provide moisture to facilitate the breaking down process.
For more reference, visit http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/rrr/composting/index.htm
As a shop owner, it is a great customer service addition if you are able to provide your customers with used grounds that you have collected from your day to day operation. From a customer aspect, its great, because you are gaining a component of great fertilizer for free.
