Coffee grounds

twopenny

So I've been offered bags the size of flour bags with used coffee grounds.

I've put the first one on the compost heap but I'm not sure how much I should add.

I understand they keep slugs at bay but wonder if this is suitable for every plant or if there are some that would not like the extra nitrogen or how much would be too much?

It aparantly can deter insects from plants but not sure how

Has anyone made use of quantities of coffee grounds that could guide me to good uses please?

I'm not going down the route of exfoliating my skin with them. Could work out as a patchy tan and bung up the shower trap.

Farway

Never used them myself but seems a Marmite item with lots of fake news

I did find this but who knows if it is correct?

https://www.ruralsprout.com/coffee-grounds-in-the-garden/

twopenny

Interesting farway. I hadn't seen that one. Made me chuckle to.
I did find that the ones I saved from last year have compacted and I have a lot of clay in the soil. My compost is good, I don't want to spoil it.
Now, what to do with my own household coffee grounds? 

coffeehound

I wonder if they burn well once they are dry?  There's oil in them, so they might be good as kindling

Edit: actually coffee beans quite often catch light in roasters so, yes, they should burn well.

Emmia

Making a "tea" out of them by soaking the used grounds in water for a few days, and then using the strained off liquid to water plants with is another option you could look at - you do still need to get rid of the grounds after that though.

twopenny

Thanks for the ideas. I think it might be telling that no one has experience of this.

I think I'll skip using coffee grounds. Shame when they come free.

Coffeehound, I don't have a fire place or chimney. Interesting idea though if anyone is brave enough.

goldfinches

coffeehound said:

I wonder if they burn well once they are dry?  There's oil in them, so they might be good as kindling

Edit: actually coffee beans quite often catch light in roasters so, yes, they should burn well.

Can tell you from experience that if you scorch your coffee beans the smell lingers for days and is a first class acrid ponk too so I should imagine that actual combustion would be a right old stink.
Still if you want to put them on the bonfire when the neighbours are having a barbeque that's your business!

Zazen999

twopenny said:

Thanks for the ideas. I think it might be telling that no one has experience of this.

I think I'll skip using coffee grounds. Shame when they come free.

Coffeehound, I don't have a fire place or chimney. Interesting idea though if anyone is brave enough.

People do have experience with using coffee grounds, they are a compost accelerant and putting them in the compost is perfect for them. I've used them for a decade and all is well. 

twopenny

Yipee! Thanks Zazen.

But now I'm torn between they'll kill all my worms and the compost will decompose quicker - always a good thing.

I don't have space to experiment with this.

Ha! Ha! Goldfinches. I could have done wth that info in my last house.

Fosterdog

I add lots of coffee grounds to my compost, over winter it is my main source of nitrogen rich material and I add a large handful to my worm bin with each feeding as it it acts as a food for them and grit to help them process other food. I've never bothered with just sprinkling them on the garden but in the compost they do really well. 

@twopenny if you don't want to use the grounds send them my way, I'd happily add several kg of grounds a week to my compost, I have access to more than enough browns to balance them. All of the coffee shops local to me give their used grounds to local groups for community gardens or to local allotments so I don't get a look in.

coffeehound

@Fosterdog the earlier link says coffee kills worms