A Spot for Coffee Grounds?: Odd Garden Composting Options Explained

Dark coffee grounds with a strong smell. After your coffee maker brews that essential cup of coffee in the morning you probably aren't wondering if the grounds can go in your compost. Well they definitely can.

Coffee grounds can help your compost bin and they have a few other uses in your garden too. This article will show you how to compost coffee grounds and a few unusual things you can add to your compost pile.

The science behind coffee

Coffee grounds have a lot of nitrogen in them which makes them great for your compost pile. Nitrogen is really important for your plants to grow well. Together with phosphorus and potassium it creates the N-P-K blend that is essential for plants to grow.

Also coffee grounds have a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 20 to 1 which is the best balance for composting. So adding them to your compost boosts the nutrients and helps manage the other materials too.

Think about the fact that coffee grounds are acidic before you throw them into your compost. This is really good if you don't overdo it. A lot of plants like it when the soil is a bit acidic. If you drink a lot of coffee and end up with a bunch of coffee grounds you should mix them with some other things that are more alkaline to make sure your compost stays at the right pH level.

Different kinds of things you can compost that are not typical

You might be surprised to learn that coffee isn't the only strange thing you can toss into your compost pile. Here are some more things that might catch your attention:

1. Paper that has news in it: It might sound strange but adding newspaper to your compost can actually be really helpful. It turns brown and breaks down fast and it has a lot of carbon that helps even out the nitrogen levels in compost.

2. Hair is a thing that grows on our heads and sometimes other places too: That's right you got it right. You can add hair from people and pets to the compost pile too. It has a lot of nitrogen and even though it takes its time to break down it helps make your compost stronger.

3. Corks made from natural materials for wine bottles: Natural wine corks without any coating can be a useful part of your compost pile because they break down slowly and can help the composting process last longer. The way they are built helps air and water move through them easily.

In short you should think twice before throwing away those coffee grounds or any other unusual things you might want to compost. They provide a lot of good things for your plants and the dirt they grow in. Composting helps cut down on the trash that ends up in landfills and is a good option for getting rid of garden waste.