Which plants like coffee grounds? I’ve heard you can use them in the garden. Since we drink a lot of coffee at home, I’d like to try composting it, too.
Elena T, Allenhurst, NJ
We’re happy to hear you want to recycle your coffee grounds and the garden is an excellent place to start. Several plants thrive on nutrients and acid they get from coffee. You can also use grounds in compost, plus they work to repel some unwanted garden pests, too.
Since washed coffee grounds are close to neutral pH, adding them to the soil in your garden will increase the amount of nitrogen. They help the ground drain excess water better and retain moisture longer. Houseplants like coffee grounds too. Mix grounds and water and sprinkle over your indoor plants every couple of weeks for increased vigor and decreased fungus gnats.
Although the grounds are not beneficial to tomatoes or as a natural fertilizer for eggplant, their acidic content can help some perennial food plants and vegetables like blueberries, roses, radishes, carrots, and hydrangeas flourish. Hydrangeas will blossom blue if you place coffee grounds in the soil around them. Be sure to mix the grounds into the soil around these plants for the best results.
Finally, coffee attracts earthworms that eat spider mites and aphids. It repels slugs and snails and might keep cats from using your garden as a litter box. Rabbits may be deterred by the strong scent, too. It’s worth a try if they’re a problem pest.
Take a look at this article about using coffee grounds:https://www.tipsbulletin.com/11-ways-to-use-coffee-grounds/It explains how else you can recycle them around your home and yard. You might never want to throw them out ever again.