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Hudsonville, Michigan (michiganpumpkins@sbcglobal.net)

I know several of you collect grounds from the local Starbucks for use in the patch. I'm wondering about regular coffee vs. flavored coffees & lattes & expressos. Are there any negatives to using grounds from flavored coffees? I presume more sugars & other residues in the latter...

Also, do you compost 'em first, or just sprinkle them in the patch for worm food?

Frank

11/23/2005 12:09:53 PM

Omaha, NE (N41-15-42 )

I think starbucks adds any flavorings post-brew, so I don't think the grounds would be affected by the milk from lattes, etc. Now with regard to flavorings/coatings added to the beans by some producers, that's hard to say. It would be interesting to get an analysis done on that to see if there are any harmful components.

11/23/2005 2:22:21 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Some great reading is at;

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/MsgBoard/ViewThread.asp?b=14&p=62358

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/MsgBoard/ViewThread.asp?b=13&p=64006

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/MsgBoard/ViewThread.asp?b=3&p=70252

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/MsgBoard/ViewThread.asp?b=10&p=72903

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/MsgBoard/ViewThread.asp?b=20&p=140941

11/23/2005 6:10:39 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

I suspect that most of those bogus holiday flavor additives leach through the grounds & into the coffee pot during brewing. That's the idea anyway.

Sugar isn't added to the grind. But if it was there would be no ill effect in the patch. Molasses isn't that disimilar to regular sucrose.

11/23/2005 7:33:02 PM

Ontario, Canada.

I agree with Steve. Not a big problem. You might even see a couple of bugs develop the shakes from a lack of caffeine as they munch on the sugars.

11/26/2005 6:37:23 PM

Montoursville, PA

The grounds will be occasionally contimated, with a bit, of this or that. Not to worry...most, of the additives are high carbs anyway. The contimates are tossed into the buckets by the gentle loving caring help.....right along with a bit of vinyle and plastics. You may hop up a couple of worms. It might sponsor a new high in copulation. The worms will thank you.

11/28/2005 3:44:34 PM

Pocatello (cliffwarren@yahoo.com)

If people will drink it, I'll put it on my patch...

Now if I only had a starbucks. I've been striking out at
other places.

12/2/2005 12:31:21 PM

Montoursville, PA

Cliff.........look for a service station that might generate a buket full once or twice a week. Two smaller accounts will give you a slow steady supply.

I actually got myself in personal "time problems" with a major coffee house. They produced four to six five gallon buckets full a day. Now I have a gas station that yeilds a couple buckets a week. I provided the buckets and made sure they were squeeky clean when I took them back. I took the guy a pumpkin pie Thanksgiving week. He got a couple of huge tomatoes last summer and some leaf lettuce. If the relationship continues I will hire his kid, to help me do some heavy work about my place.

12/2/2005 6:07:57 PM

Ray, North Dakota

The advantages to coffee grounds is what? Will they help high pH ground above 7?

12/20/2005 3:49:59 PM

Omaha, NE (N41-15-42 )

coffee grounds are a natural fertilizer, but the bigger benefit is that they are the favorite food of earthworms, so the grounds will attract and keep more earthworms, helping to better aerate the soil and prevent compaction, but they also have to poop after they eat, and worm poop is great stuff. There is a nutrient analysis of Starbucks' coffee grounds on the soil analysis board.

12/20/2005 8:46:18 PM

ENGLAND

I have just recently, about 4 weeks ago, managed to get one of our local Pub's to save all their used coffee grounds for me to use in my proposed growing area next year. I just leave a bin, with a plastic liner bag in it, near the coffee machine and i get about 30 to 40 Lbs a week from them. I left the last bag of Coffee Grounds out on an area of grass and just forgot about it for a few days. When i went to empty the bag out into the storage bin i have for the coffee grounds i found a mass of worms under the bag on the soil/grass surface. There was a very small hole in the bag and the water from the Coffee Grounds had attracted the worms to their own coffee shop. Do Coffee Grounds work ? they sure do and i saw amazing evidence of this.

Regards
Mike

12/21/2005 4:41:35 AM

Montoursville, PA

Coffee Grounds have about the same or a little better nitrogen content than found, in fresh cow manure. The key word here is fresh. If old or partly digested manure were used, the nitrogen, in manure would be even less. The three exclusions, to this statement, would likely be rabbit, fowl
and bat manure. They contain more nitrogen when fresh.

12/21/2005 11:24:38 AM