DIY Tuesday-How to Create Your Very Own Coffee Compost

If you naturally have a green thumb, or are making your best efforts to get one, AND you have a high regard for your coffee, then get ready for our very first DIY Tuesday. We will continue to give you some creative tips and ideas in utilizing your coffee to its greatest potential. You now know some of the ways in which you can creatively use coffee grounds, so today, we’re talking about the role that coffee can play in your very own backyard. In gardening, compost is considered the key ingredient in improving soil structure, helping it to stay loose and easy to cultivate. Compost also assists in improving the soil’s ability to hold water and nutrients. Used coffee grounds also help and attract microorganisms and earthworms, that are extremely beneficial to the plants’ growth. The idea behind composting is that it is recycling organic matter, which would otherwise have become waste in a landfill, and using it as fertilizer. So, before you dump those old coffee grounds in the trash can, think twice. Well, how do you go about getting your garden flourishing, and putting your coffee grounds to good use? It’s a much simpler process than you might imagine, and you don’t need to have professional gardening or landscaping experience to get growing. All you have to do is combine equal parts coffee grounds, grass clippings, and dry leaves, and then simply work it into the soil once a week. Believe it or not, you can even toss the coffee filters in as well. All plants need a good source of nitrogen, which coffee grounds (conveniently) provide. Coffee grounds, on their own, are rather acidic, which may not be ideal for some plants, which is why it’s often recommended to add a pinch of garden lime in with the coffee grounds. This lime is not the same as or related to the common fruit, but is specifically for gardening, and comes in a powder form. Different types of plants may require different amounts of the coffee grounds, so you should start by just lightly mixing one tablespoon of grounds around each plant into the soil once a week, closely observe how the plants react, add a little bit each week, and adjust accordingly. There are two kinds of composting materials—green and brown. Coffee grounds fall under the “green” category, which means wet, nutrient rich materials. Since coffee grounds are green compost, when you add them to your existing compost, you have to balance it out with “brown” compost, which consists of dry materials like dry leaves, twigs, sawdust, etc. Before you know it, you will be seeing some positive changes in your garden, and you will feel better knowing that your coffee grounds are being put to good use, rather than winding up as junk. Stay tuned for even more fresh coffee ideas, and new ways to enjoy your favorite drink, courtesy of CoffeeAM.