I'm a big coffee drinker, so I decided to save my coffee grounds throughout the winter to use in my garden and compost bins. I'll be making liquid fertilizer for my garden by adding 2 cups of coffee grounds to 5 gallons of water and allowing it to sit overnight. Five gallon buckets are great for preparing the fertilizer and having on hand when you're ready. Be sure to place a piece of screen over the bucket and keep it close to your garden. This liquid fertilizer is great on tomatoes, peppers, and cukes. You can also sprinkle a light layer around plants to ward off slugs in the garden too. This container will be used in the compost bin.
Coffee grinds can be used on all acid loving plants like strawberries, other acidity fruits, azaleas, rhododendrons and hydrangeas. Simply sprinkle a thin layer around these plants. Worms love coffee grounds. We all know that worms in the garden are heaven sent. Coffee grounds that you will be using in the garden should be dried and stored in plastic bags since coffee has a tendency to mold. A weekly dose of the liquid should suffice in the garden this season.
If you're not a coffee drinker, give Star Bucks or The Daily Grind a call. They give away coffee grounds by the bag full to gardeners. Dunkin Doughnuts seems to have a problem giving away their stash. They may be different in your area, but not so much in mine. Coffee grounds can be mixed with eggshells for plants needing calcium too. Last year, I used eggshells and my mother's old calcium tablets. You can check out my post here. My tomatoes did very well. I'm hoping to make them even bigger and better this year. I decided to grow Tiffen Mennonites this season. Hopefully my seedlings will survive. They're known to get close to 2 pounds. I should be able to get quite a few BLTs out of a 2 pounder.
Do you use homemade fertilizers? Please share what you use if you do.
Do you use homemade fertilizers? Please share what you use if you do.
We have been doing this for year! My dad drinks coffee non stop so we have more than enough for our garden. It is amazing much better than the stuff you can buy and he is going to throw it out anyway so why not use it for better produce?
ReplyDeleteI am glad to read about coffee grounds. I need to do a better job of saving them. My little (and they are little) hydrangeas need help. I did sprinkle some grounds around them hoping to encourage more growth. I think I will add some to the strawberries. Thanks for the lesson.
ReplyDeleteMy Azaleas and Rhododendrons love coffee grounds. Their color is brilliant. I cut the Rhododendron back every few years, so I give them an extra dose when I do that. I got quite a few compliments on it this week-end.
DeleteIf I have enough I put a handful in every hole I plant a plant. This helps the roots and keeps ants away and encourages worms. I never thought about the calcium tablets. Thanks for visiting my blog come back soon. Love
ReplyDeletethe teepee.
Thanks Juanita, I'll def be back to visit.
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