This week see’s the launch of our Coffee to Compost scheme at Midsummer place. It couldn't be simpler: instead of throwing the waste coffee grounds from our coffee shops away, we can all use it to enrich our garden soil and help our plants look bloomin' lovely in no time!

As such, we cordially invite all our green fingered visitors to help themselves to a free bag of coffee grounds, from Friday 1st July 2022. They are available from the coffee compost cart, located near Five Guys.

Why coffee grounds?

Coffee grounds are a natural, long-term way to enrich soil and speed up the composting process. What's better is that it means we can repurpose waste that could easily otherwise end up in landfill. As they are high in nitrogen, coffee grounds can help with plant growth, particularly for acid-loving plants such as azaleas, hydrangeas, blueberries, and lilies, as well as root crops like carrots or radishes.

See below some useful tips and tricks on how best to use your coffee grounds. We do advise searching for more detailed advice online on exactly how to use the coffee grounds, in a way that's safe for your plants, pets and to ensure you achieve the results you are hoping for:

Coffee grounds (when used appropriately) can help in retaining water, aeration and drainage. To achieve this it is advised to sprinkle the grounds directly onto your soil and lightly rake it in. (information obtained from Country Living)
If you want to coffee grounds as mulch, then we recommend mixing it in with things such as leaf mould, this helps reduce the chance of clumps forming which could end up blocking the water supply to the plants and them becoming dehydrated! Just make sure you don’t apply it too thickly. If you do this correctly then mulch will help at keeping the soil moisture, keep those weeds at bay as well as helping tackle that winter frost. (information obtained from Country Living)
Although when used correctly coffee grounds make great fertiliser and mulch, they are however not so great for our four legged friends and sadly they can be harmful to pets in large enough doses. Although its hard to measure the amount of caffeine used in the coffee grounds, it is advised to avoid laying coffee grounds directly on to your garden, especially those areas where your pets love to sniff! Instead bury the coffee grounds in your compost heap instead! (information obtained from Grow Veg)

Some useful websites we used to find these tips and tricks are:

https://www.growveg.co.uk/guides/a-common-sense-guide-to-using-coffee-grounds-in-the-garden/

https://www.countryliving.com/uk/homes-interiors/gardens/a36070165/coffee-grounds-garden/

There were also lots more to read up on, so we recommend researching before using your coffee grounds.*

*Please note, anyone who chooses to take the coffee grounds from Midsummer Place, does so entirely at their own risk, and recognises that if used incorrectly, coffee grounds can cause harm to plants, wildlife and mammals. Midsummer Place accepts no responsibility or liability for damage, illness or adverse reaction, caused by the handling or use of coffee grounds. We advise researching ways in order to do this safely and appropriately.

Coffee Compost