The Daily Grind: Uses for Coffee Grounds

Save the earth while enjoying your coffee!

Its Sunday morning.  Time to linger over a nice hot cup of joe.  In fact, I’m going to pour myself another steaming mug right now.

Have I ever mentioned how much I absolutely love coffee?  Fair Trade- sourced,  of course!

Unlike sodas, or perhaps even tea, you can enjoy fair trade coffee (or other sourced coffee) and help the environment too.  There are many uses for coffee grounds these days.

You have probably heard of using your spent coffee grounds in your garden for compost.  Simply add the grounds to the … well… ground and mix well.

Next time you water your plants, the coffee grounds help release nitrogen into the soil more slowly.  Plus:

Creating a blend of soil and used coffee grounds gives your plants a good start at a healthy life. Not only will this blend cause your plants to grow tall and strong, but it will aid them in protection from mites and little bugs.

Oh, how I love coffee!

But there are other uses for coffee grounds of which you might not be aware.  Did you know that you can use them as a natural pesticide?  Simply sprinkle on top of an anthill, or around an area where cutworms are bothering you.  Just be aware that overuse of leftover coffee grounds could hurt your plants, due to their salt content.

Although I am not an angler, I have read that fishermen and women should store worms in a container with damp coffee grounds.  I wonder if the fish bite better when you use “coffee-treated” worms?

Here’s another new tip I recently learned.  Sprinkle leftover coffee grounds on the walkways around your home.  They can help prevent slipping on ice.  When the snow and ice melts, runoff will help promote healthy growth of your lawn and landscaping.

Beyond composting and pesticides, you can use leftover coffee grounds to balance the pH of your soil.  Did you know that coffee is acidic?  Yeah – I did too.  So, use your coffee grounds in the garden if you have alkaline soil.  Much more affordable than purchasing soil implements!

Who knew that your favorite morning beverage could be uplifting in so many ways?  Consider recycling your coffee grounds, using one or several of these methods and extend the benefits of that cup of joe – so much farther than the length of the average Sunday morning!