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Coffee grounds in the garden
stephanie.jenkins
Posts: 2
I live near a supermarket that allows customers to help themselves to its used coffee grounds, and so I am able to fill a carrier bag with them almost every day. The soil in my garden is sandy and free-draining and always short of nutrients, so I have been sprinkling coffee grounds liberally on the borders.
I have three questions:
(1) Would I be better adding the coffee grounds to my compost heap so that no area or plant gets a full-strength hit?
(2) Are there any specific plants that cannot tolerate coffee?
(3) How much is too much?
0
Posts
The best use for coffee grounds I have heard of is as a slug/ snail deterrent! If you put a ring of grounds round susceptible plants they wont cross it! In general I would mix it in the compost if you really have that much, they will break down like any other organic matter. I have no idea about plant tolerance or otherwise as far as any caffeine goes.
Thanks for the reply. I think it is deterring cats as well as slugs and snails, which is great. I just worry about the long-term effect on my soil if I keep adding it.
Just don't go too mad with it too much of any one thing is never good.!