"Grown from Grounds" - Project recycling coffee grounds

The Final Straw Foundation, a local environmental charity has started a new initiative called “Grown from Grounds”. It links coffee shops to gardeners to reduce food waste and form community connections.

Coffee grounds make up a huge amount of food waste thrown away from coffee shops, and the aim is to divert this waste from landfill. Like most organic kitchen waste, coffee grounds are great to recycle in the garden to benefit your soil and your plants. Look out for the logo in the image and any cafe displaying the sign will have coffee grounds for free.

For more information about the Final Straw Foundation visit https://finalstrawfoundation.org/. Final Straw Foundation is a charity registered in England, number 1191500

Gardeners World advice on using coffee grounds in your garden.

Coffee grounds are an excellent compost ingredient and are fine to apply directly onto the soil around most garden plants if used with care and moderation. The grounds are relatively high in nitrogen and also contain potassium and phosphorus, as well as being a source of moist organic matter.

The safest way to use coffee grounds in the garden is to add them to compost containers or worm bins. Used grounds rot down well. While applying coffee grounds directly onto the soil around most plants is usually fine, this should be done with care as using grounds in this way is never a one-method-fits-all approach. The chief potential problem is that if applied in quantity to the soil surface, the fine particles clog together to form a barrier that prevents water and air from reaching plant roots.

Coffee tends to be slightly acidic and is therefore good for acid-loving plants such as hydrangeas, as well as nutrient-hungry plants like roses.

Which plants do not like used coffee grounds?
Coffee grounds are likely to contain some caffeine unless it is decaffeinated coffee. Whilst most of the caffeine in coffee is transferred to the drink in the brewing process, some may remain. Caffeine restricts the growth of certain plants, notably tomatoes, and may inhibit germination of seedlings.

As a pest repellent against slugs, some gardeners have had good results while others report that it has no effect. Other gardeners use coffee as a repellent for ants, cats and foxes, again with varying results. As with any organic repellent, frequent application is needed and especially after rain.

Note caffeine in coffee can be toxic to dogs. Whilst grounds that have been brewed usually contain very little caffeine, if your dog tends to eat anything going, don’t spread grounds on the soil surface but instead add to the compost bin or bury in the soil.

For the full article click this link