50 bags of coffee grinds

I have 50 bags of coffee grinds collected over the past few months.
Each bag is about 10 lbs, not all are pictured here.
They were frozen solid due to being stored outside, now I need a few ideas as to what to do with them..

I know there is a lot of back-n-forth about spent coffee grounds acidifying your soil/mix.  Camprn can probably link to some studies proving one way or another   
I do know that those grounds, mixed into your beds will add an organic material, which is always good in the long run.  I dumped a bunch of spent grounds around my blueberries, in the hopes that (if true) they will push the soil towards acidic.  At least they will add an organic element!

I think I've read here about them being really good compost activators. And of course everyone always says that worms love them so much, and that they are great in worm farms.

Once upon a time we were able to get lots of coffee grounds.  They are really spectacular for mixing in with compost and soils.  Great nitrogen.  I did not notice high acidity resulting but also did not test.

The coffee company cut us off because my grandson who picked them up testified on the pesticide bill to insist that the large users tell us what they are using.  We have our problems here on this little island.  Monsanto and cohorts are now suing so they do not have to tell us.

There are a few back threads about this.

I use them in my compost as a green. They are relatively pH neutral. I also use them as a top dressing under shrubs and arounds my flower beds. Particularly around hostas.

I use grounds as mulch under eggplants...supposed to keep the flea beetles away.  I also use plenty in the compost pile...I get trash bags so full that sometimes they're difficult to carry (at least 25 starbucks within 20 minute drive).

landarch wrote:I use grounds as mulch under eggplants...supposed to keep the flea beetles away.  I also use plenty in the compost pile...I get trash bags so full that sometimes they're difficult to carry (at least 25 starbucks within 20 minute drive).

Kansas City sure must love their coffee

I guess we do...there are pros and cons of living in the city.

Pro: all the coffee drinkers.

Con: all the coffee drinkers.

My most efficient grounds gathering is on Sunday morning.  I get a cooler of grounds from church, then there are two Starbucks about 1/4 mile in each direction.

Yes I'm the same as the rest - except I mix the grounds with egg shells. Then they get mixed in when ever I do a deep forking AND as a top dressing. I have found that his really kicks the slugs where i hurts. AND that's a good thing.
PS: if you are making the rounds of Starbucks why not drop off a few clean 5 gallon pails at your favorite breakfast place?

I've read that if you sprinkle them over your carrot seeds, it will help keep the Carrot Rust Fly away...

fog wrote:
PS: if you are making the rounds of Starbucks why not drop off a few clean 5 gallon pails at your favorite breakfast place?

Fog, some have tried and the standard response by restaurants is "Can't, liability issues."

You can put coffee grounds in compost to give it more of a sandy texture.  However, I read in Mel's book not to use more than 10% in coffee grounds for your compost pile, barrel, etc.

I plant just about everything in hills - tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, etc. because being on the Gulf Coast we just never know when a real frog strangler might come through.  This helps keep the main plants higher than flood level.  Around each mound, I sprinkle GENEROUS amounts of compost to keep the slugs and snails away from the plants.  I put my circle all the way out past the leaf line.  I watched a video on YouTube last year where this gardener did a test using coffee grounds to repel slugs from his plants.  He put a line of coffee grounds on one side of a wall and none on the other (where he had planted plants).  He then waited for a slug to appear, coming after the tender vegetation.  He put the video in fast forward and it was amazing!  The slug never crossed the line of coffee grounds, actually shrinking back each time he tried to cross this line, and end the end started munching on the leaves of the plant next to it where there were none.  The caffeine had some sort of negative affect on the neurotransmitters in slugs and snails.  I've kept it around my plants every since and replace them each time it rains.  There's not a plant in my garden that doesn't have a wide ring of coffee grounds around it.

Oh!  Thanks Rahab222!  I know what I'M going to be doing!

http://www.sunset.com/garden/earth-friendly/starbucks-coffee-compost-test-00400000016986/

No_Such_Reality wrote:http://www.sunset.com/garden/earth-friendly/starbucks-coffee-compost-test-00400000016986/

Excellent!