How I Use Coffee Grinds

Since we shifted to grinding coffee beans I had a happy discovery! We have a steady supply of coffee grinds we can re-use. I'm happy about it because I used to ask for grinds from Starbucks. Sometimes though someone beats me to it, haha. 

Here's how I use it:

• Compost - I used to just toss the grinds with the filter in our compost bin. I mix it up with fruit peels and veggie discards. It's better to have a good mix, but I realized there's other uses for the coffee grinds (plus I don't want the worms to be too caffeinated.
• Sun dried compost - after some research I found out that some of our plants like acidic soil (i.e. gumamela, bamboo and our bushes). I would usually place the grinds on a metal pan and leave it under the sun for a week. Then I add it to the soil. {I add tea leaves if Sweetie remembers to save it).
• Cat repellant - there are many stray cats in our neighborhood and they love using the garden as their toilet. They don't like the smell of coffee though, so adding the dried coffee grinds (or stale beans) keeps them away. You have to add the grinds weekly though since what they don't like is the smell of coffee. 
• Repel bugs - bugs, especially mosquitoes, also don't like the smell of coffee. You can just put some of the grinds in small cups and put it around the house. You may also make some coffee and use it as a spray (I use stale coffee if I have any). 
• Orchid spray - I've tried this a few times. Used stale coffee grinds to make a spray. It certainly made my orchids happy. 

I add tea leaves when available.

Happy gardening!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Happy Bulbs

I was having a horrid day the other day due to headache suppliers. To break the bleak time I was having I went outside to water the plants. It's a good thing to spend time with plants when you're in a bad mood. My mood started to light up after watering the bamboo in our back garden. 

I always check the status of my plants. I watch out for pests and other issues. I've been giving the gumamela (hibiscus) plants extra TLC since the year started. I added soil and compost. I also fortified it to prevent cats from using it as a toilet. I guess it liked the add ons because it started to grow more leaves. I nipped new leaves as instructed by the manang at Mahogany (in Tagaytay). 

I was so happy to see bulbs growing on the gumamela plants. I recently gave it some rice water and it likes it. I just need to be careful since sometimes it attracts pests. I spray them with neem oil once a week to keep aphids away. If we're able to water the plants properly in the morning, all the bulbs will eventually open. It's been so hot though, so we'll see. 

Gumamela plants also like coffee grinds. I've been giving them a little every few weeks. I usually collect a weeks worth of used coffee grinds (and tea leaves) and then I leave it under the sun for a week. I use an old baking pan so it would completely dry. The berry bush I have out front also likes coffee grinds. Aside from providing nutrients it also wards off cats (they don't like the smell of coffee). It's also a great way to re-use coffee grinds. No need to throw them away. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Trying a New Way to Compost

We set up a compost bin for about a year now. I initially tried it while we were still in Singapore. It did not go as planned because I made the mistake of not balancing the green and brown matter in the bin. I had too much green stuff, so it didn't turn out well. 

Since we got home I finally learned to balance what I put in the bin. I learned you have to put equal amounts of green matter (peels, coffee grinds, eggs, fresh leaves etc.) and brown matter (paper, dried leaves, cut up toilet paper rolls etc.). Make sure to wet it, then cover it so it will heat up. I just left it as it is and let the earthworms find it. 

One thing though I don't like doing is moving the contents once a week. It's a lot of work. It's usually smelly in the beginning, but if you have the right balance between green and brown matter it shouldn't smell. I came across a video which taught a different way to compost. 

He said you can put an air tunnel in the middle of the bin. You can do this by using a pipe with holes in it. The holes would provide the air needed to help with decomposition. I didn't have a pipe, much less something that could create holes in it. So I used a water bottle and put holes in it. I think it would be able to provide the air needed. I could also pour water in it every so often to keep the contents moist. 

Well, it's supposed to aerate the bin better and make decomposition faster. Also, no need to turn the contents weekly. Ahh, one thing I noticed also is it's better to use a huge terracotta pot to compost than plastic bins. The pot already has holes in the bottom and allows the matter to breathe better. This also prevents you from accidentally drowning the earthworms if you put too much water. 

I'll let the bin warm up the next few days. This should allow the needed gasses and bacteria to develop and help with decomposition. It should hopefully be ready in a month! 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Plantita Saturdays: Composting Coffee Grinds

Since being weaned away from instant coffee, we've been amassing a good amount of coffee grinds from our daily cup. It was a shame to just throw it out, so I read up on composting coffee grinds. I learned it's best to let it dry a bit first before using it. 

Composting coffee grinds.

I've been using the grinds as compost in two ways. I sometimes put it directly on the plant. I just put a little since I'm not sure if it might be too acidic for the plant. It's a good fertilizer for the bamboo, they seem to like it. 

I read and watched a couple of videos on composting and for a few months now I've been adding the coffee grinds and filter to the compost bin. I just started a new one since I had a huge pile I dried in the past few weeks. 

Found a used broas tin, cleaned it up and asked Sweetie to put some holes in it. Placed all the grinds in. To hasten the process, I added some compost from the existing bin. That effectively transferred some of the worms to the new bin. To make it more delectable for them I add fresh discard veggies every so often.

The compost has to have a good balance between green and dry ingredients. Green ingredients are usually veggies, grinds, and fresh leaves (big plus if you can add malunggay leaves). Dry ingredients are the filter, dry leaves, paper or cut up toilet rolls. If your bin is smelly it means you need to add more dry ingredients.  

Keep the bin moist, so add water every few days. Don't cover the bin fully because the critters need a bit of air. I learned that the hard way when we fully closed the second bin, all the worms died from too much water and lack of air. They eventually came back when we fixed the issue. Mix the content weekly so the workers go through all the material. You'll know the bin is ready when the worms move out of the bin. 

Next time I want to try the three layer compost bin. I'm eyeing to use an old plastic drawer. 

#BeKind #StaySafe