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Using coffee granuals in the veg bed

• Message 1. 

  Posted by AileenBrown (U14702065) on Wednesday, 29th December 2010

  I have access to an almost limitless supply of used coffee granuals (thanks to a well known coffee shop chain getting involved in recycling their waste). I've putsome in the compost heap, some in the wormery & plan to dig some into my new raised beds (once the ground thaws out). I also plan to use it as a slug deterrent is spring.
  Does anybody know what concentrations of coffee grounds I should be using for each purpose?
  When should I be digging it in?
  Are there any plants which will particularly like or loath this new ingredient in their diet?

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by tiptonnic (U14496053) on Thursday, 30th December 2010

  Hi
  
  I started collecting used coffee grounds from work a couple of years ago, excellent stuff. Mostly I have added to the compost heap, it's esp useful in the summer when I have a lot of grass clippings to deal with and usually struggle for enough "brown" material to balance this. The resulting compost has been excellent, a really nice texture and the worms seem to love it.
  
  I have tried it as a slug deterrent but it didn't make any impact at all for me on my raised beds which was a big disapointment
  
  I saw this link on a different forum, really useful, shows the expected compostion of just about anything that you might want to compost (I'm not sure what's wrong with me but since I got the "grow your own" bug a couple of years ago I've become really interested in compost, unfortunately, it's not the simplest of topics to get into not gardening conversations)
  
  

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• Message 3

  , in reply to message 2.

  Posted by AileenBrown (U14702065) on Thursday, 30th December 2010

  Thanks. That link is brilliant. It dispelled the myth that citrus peel shouldn't be composted.
  If coffee granules don't work against slugs, I'll resort to the more expensive but effective biological control (Nematodes)
  

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• Message 4

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by hereisabee (U2342191) on Friday, 31st December 2010

  Coffee grounds are very acidic, so great for ericaceous plants which include blueberries. Much depends on the natural pH of your soil, but as a rough guide potatoes like acid soil, peas and beans neutral, cabbages alkaline. Worms also like neutral material so mix the coffee well with other material.

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• Message 5

  , in reply to message 3.

  Posted by bogus the fungi man (U14705597) on Friday, 31st December 2010

  Hello Alleen. Have you used nematodes before? And have they been effective? I'm on heavy clay and I believe they're not that effective on heavy soils and don't work against snails either. Friends have had good results against the very small slugs that lives in the soil but that's about it. I've thought about using nematodes but everyone suggests they're not cost effective. I have used them commercially against Sciarid fly larvae in pots and they do work a treat.
  
  I've swapped to the Ferrous sulphate slug pellets now which, though not technically organic, are not harmful to other animals. And they do work for me.

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