Use Coffee Grounds For Gardening

Searching for a way to garden a little greener while creating less waste in the kitchen? Look no further than your trusty coffee maker for one of the best fertilizers, composters, bug repellants and worm cuisine!

Here's a list of ways to use coffee grounds in your yard and garden:

Add grounds directly to the soil in your garden
You can scratch it into the top inch of soil, or just sprinkle the grounds onto the soil surface.

Sprinkle coffee grounds near plants
The one's that are subject to slug or snail infestations. Coffee grounds are both abrasive and acidic, so a barrier of grounds placed near slug-prone plants saves them from garden pests.

   

Feed coffee grounds to acid-loving plants
like rhododendrons and azaleas. The acidity of ground coffee increases blooms and promotes healthy growth in garden plants. You can fertilize your plants this way on a daily basis.

Create a coffee "mix" for watering
Add a few days' worth of grounds to a large bucket in your garage or back porch. Add water to make a "tea" of sorts, let it "steep" overnight, and use it as a liquid fertilizer for your potted plants or garden beds. Just toss it in a regular watering can and away you go!

Compost your coffee grounds in your backyard
Ground coffee has the same percentage of nitrogen as grass clippings, and worms love it. Just dump each day's brew on the compost pile and it will neutralize as it decomposes.

Just make sure the grounds are cooled to room temperature before using them -- warm grounds can do more damage than good.

Don't brew coffee at home? Many places like Starbucks have programs in place where you can pick up -- for FREE -- their used coffee grounds from the day's makings. Call your local store ahead of time to see what their policies are and if you need to bring your own container for pick up.

What are some of your less-waste kitchen tips? Let us know in the comments!

Photo: Flickr.com/photos/timsamoff/3424767877/