Coffee and Composting

Oregon State University Extension Service workers discover the benefits of coffee grounds in the garden. For the last seven years the group has collected grounds from regional coffee shops for use as a nitrogen booster. The grounds are found to be high in nitrogen content, for which manure is often used.

Gardeners are being encouraged to connect with their local coffee shops for large containers of the material. A few words of caution should be noted about using coffee grounds in the garden. The grounds must be brewed or the acid content will be too high for most garden vegetables. Blueberries, however, love high acid content in the soil so they may be added carefully to compost that will feed these fruit bushes. The brewed grounds are not a substitue for nitrogen fertiler and so should not be used directly surrounding plants. It is recommended that the grounds are first composted.