What Plants Can Be Fertilized with Coffee Grounds?

Don’t throw away your used coffee grounds! They can be a valuable soil amendment that will improve soil structure and boost plant health. Read on to learn how to use it effectively.

Keeping your garden looking its best is a constant challenge. There are always new soil amendments available that promise to give you the healthiest plants possible.

But, before you drop a fortune at the garden store, consider the products already in your pantry. It turns out that used coffee grounds can be a stellar soil amendment — so long as you use them with the right plants. Gardening with coffee grounds lets you get a second use out of a product that would otherwise go to the landfill.

Here’s how to get started with coffee grounds in the garden.

Why Use Coffee Grounds in the Garden?

You might value coffee beans mostly for their flavor and caffeine content, but spent coffee grounds have many other advantages as well. They contain approximately 2% nitrogen by volume, meaning that they add vital nutrients to depleted soil.

Just note that you’ll want to add a more concentrated nitrogen fertilizer at the same time you apply them. Coffee grounds promote the growth of beneficial soil microorganisms, which will munch through all nitrogen present. Adding more ensures that there is enough nitrogen for your plants as well.

Beyond their nutritional content, coffee grounds also improve soil tilth, structure, and water retention. They are an excellent addition to any compacted soil that you need to make easier to work, which creates better habitat space for earthworms.

Finally, many gardeners find that sprinkling coffee grounds around their plants keeps slugs and snails away.

How to Apply Coffee Grounds in the Garden

There are many strategies for applying coffee grounds to plant beds. Some gardeners will sprinkle them directly on the soil before planting so they get blended into the bed.

Others apply the grounds after the growing season and then cover them with leaves, fresh compost, or bark mulch. The grounds will break down by planting time. Finally, it’s also possible to incorporate coffee grounds into your compost pile to apply in the spring.

Coffee grounds offer a low-cost, versatile soil amendment to make your garden stand out. So long as you limit their use to plants that they can most benefit — and not harm — spent coffee grounds are a proven way to keep things at their peak.

Best Plants to Fertilize with Coffee Grounds

Not all plants benefit from used coffee grounds. Since the grounds are slightly acidic, they best serve acid-loving plants like hydrangeas, azaleas, rhododendrons, carrots, radishes, and other root vegetables. Fruit lovers will find they are the perfect way to perk up blueberry bushes.

Note that coffee grounds will inhibit the growth of some plants, so keep them away from your geraniums, tomatoes, Chinese mustard, and asparagus.