7 Outdoor Uses for Coffee Grounds (and Tea)

It’s hard to know what to do with leftovers from home – especially coffee grounds. With many Americans drinking over 3 cups a day and spending nearly $20 each week, there’s a ton of waste! No worries though, because in this article, you’ll find many uses for coffee grounds (and tea) to help be green on the Earth.

Leftovers in Garden - Uses For Leftover Coffee Grounds And Tea Leaves
Source: Fix.com Blog

1. Use Your Coffee Grounds as Mulch

You can mix your used coffee grounds with another type of mulch in order to see benefits. You’ll want to be careful though as too much coffee can be a barrier to moisture and air. A perfect mix of coffee and existing mulch can help improve the growth of certain plants.

2. Make a Better Compost Pile

With a high nitrogen content, coffee grounds are perfect for adding into your compost. Another benefit is that worms can be attracted to the compost which will help with even more garden benefits.

woman holding container with coffee grounds outside

3. Change the Color of Flowering Plants

In case you weren’t aware, some flowers actually change color when the pH level of soil is changed. Reducing the level will help give you bright blue flowers in something like a hydrangea.

4. Create Your Own Fertilizer

Mix 1/2 cup of coffee grounds per 1 gallon of water and you can use this for your plants. What develops is a homemade fertilizer that is kid-friendly for any area of your yard or garden. Plus, you can save a few bucks compared to a pre-made organic fertilizer.

5. Repel Insects like Ants and Slugs

Create a ring around your most precious plants to make these insects turn away from nipping on your plants. As an added option, take some used egg shells, grind them up, and add them in the mixture. Bugs will opt for another path around.

6. Store Used Coffee Grounds for Garden

When you decided to reuse your grounds, they need to be dry. From our experience at home, storing them inside of a container with a lid is not a good idea! You need a place for them to dry out – maybe consider following these directions with a baker’s tray.

7. Suppress Those Weeds You Love

While not as surefire as some of the other ways to use your coffee, adding it to keep the weeds down can help. Although you’ll want to be careful as some plants that may be around the weeds (like tomatoes) will have an adverse effect.