Coffee grounds

[DawnSuiter]

Starbucks seems to be changing their interest level in gardeners using the coffee grounds, at least around here. Downtown Starbucks used to have a waste basket with plastic garbage bags of coffee grounds in it. They have since stopped that practice and now you have to ask for them because enough people weren't taking them.

I have a large composting area in my back yard as I have a large garden in a large city. From January to April of 2010, I picked up the coffee grounds almost daily for my compost pile.

In that three months +/-, I put 2,047 pounds of coffee grounds from Starbucks on my compost pile and tracked it on my spreadsheets. The heaviest trash bag (they doubled bags due to weight) weighed 35 pounds. That breaks down to an average of 26.58 pounds per bag of coffee grounds that I had picked up, as there were 77 bags. I had a hanging scale with an "S" hook on it set up and I weighed everything from outside my home that was brought into my composting area. Leaves and grass clippings were also included in separate categories.

I admit that I'm really committed to composting since I read that in a small garden area you can eliminate crop rotation if you anually apply cured compost at a rate of six each, 5 gallon bucketfuls per 100 square feet. I have been doing that and I don't rotate my crops and they seem to do pretty well if the weather is cooperating.

I prepared an entire blog post on the evolution of my composting area as it turned out to be a lengthy endeavor. If you would like to go directly to it for a visit, just click on the link below:

http://backyardorganicvegetables.blogspot.com/2011_02_01_archive.html

So far, everyone has liked what they read/saw and found it informative.

Sources like starbucks are excellent for the benefits to gardeners such as ourselves (all readers of this). The more people access their materials, the more receptive they will be to provide a nutrient source for our gardens without charge. Even the lawn benefits from coffee grounds. The worms love them and they aerate the soil for you and you have greener lawns, maybe from the worm poop! I hope everyone takes advantage of the availablity of free coffee grounds from Starbucks.

Edited to add "anually".

I have read and read and read, as you say the printed materials on the topic of composting. I began like you did, without your background, and soon gave up on walls for my compost, turning with a pitchfork and eventually after 2 years of failure, composing all together. I decided that the instructions & tips just didn't work for me and the amount of materials I have. Now, thanks to your page, I will try this again. I see now many of the mistakes I made, mostly because I didn't understand what needed to happen or how. Thank you for showing me the evolution of your project as I think this is really what made the difference.

 

[Veggie PAK]

Dawn, You are certainly welcome! The way I look at it, someone showed and shared information with me, so I try to do the same thing for others. I certainly don't know everything there is to know about the subject, but I'm willing to share what I do know by experience or otherwise. I think the biggest impact for me with composting was the elimination of the confining walls. Lifting every one of those forkfuls of compost 3 feet high is a deterrent for anyone, I believe. My way seems good enough for me, and I'm very happy with it's production rate.

 

[DawnSuiter]

Dawn, You are certainly welcome! The way I look at it, someone showed and shared information with me, so I try to do the same thing for others. I certainly don't know everything there is to know about the subject, but I'm willing to share what I do know by experience or otherwise. I think the biggest impact for me with composting was the elimination of the confining walls. Lifting every one of those forkfuls of compost 3 feet high is a deterrent for anyone, I believe. My way seems good enough for me, and I'm very happy with it's production rate.

Your right about that. It was the turning all together that just didn't work for me. But the idea of walking the pile a foot to one side, and then back to the other ever couple of days is completely do-able. I will also be keeping my eyes out for a "hay fork" if I ever get the blessing of running across one. Thanks again.

 

[ninnymary]

Veggie...saw your pictures and I notice that you plant in the burrow? Not sure if that is the correct term. I plant on the higher part where you are kneeling. Your planting area makes more sense since the water will stay better there than running off on the part that I plant. Am I making sense?

Mary

 

[Veggie PAK]

The "furrow" is the term I used in the video. When plants are small, I use the hose at one end of it and let the water gently run to the other end of the furrow. As soon as it reaches the end, I shut the water off because as it flows to the far end, it is being absorbed by the ground proportionately. When the first part is saturated, the water tends to run off down to the lower end, thereby distributing itself somewhat evenly. At least that's how I view it and it works for me. Eventually, the furrow gets filled in with soil through cultivation, etc., and I resort to overhead watering with the hose.

I had planted my pole beans this year on the "high" part, and yes, the water sure did run right off. However, if you have wet soil, that would be a good thing. Next year, I'm going back to level ground. That works pretty good here.

Thanks for visiting my blog!