Easy Recipes From The Garden

Coffee drinkers: save those used grounds (and paper filters). Used coffee grounds make an excellent garden mulch - and it’s free. I’ve been spreading a thin layer around my tomato plants for several years, and notice robust, very hearty plants and fruits with little to no bugs.

Coffee grounds can be spread all over the garden as organic matter, or toss used grounds each time you brew a pot if you wish. If you add larger quantities, you might want to work it into the soil to prevent decay or too much acid in the soil.

If you’re not a coffee drinker, you can still get grounds for free — many coffee shops offer their spent coffee grounds to gardeners to use in their gardens. In fact, Starbucks has a “Grounds for Your Garden” campaign where most stores actually have a bucket (usually near the door) with their spent coffee grounds neatly packaged and ready to go.