Green Thumb GardeningHow to Have a Great Garden With Ease

The following is a reprint from another source, but Green Thumb Gardener likes it…

Secrets of Green Thumb Gardening – It’s All in Your Coffee!
By Timothy S. Collins

Gardeners tend to fall into two categories: the green-thumbed who perform horticultural magic and the black-thumbed who do only horticultural wrong despite all efforts to the contrary. The reality is we can be one of the other at different times in our lives. To be green-thumbed or black-thumbed depends upon many reasons besides luck.

Gardening success requires the interaction of many environmental factors including the nature of soil and plants. However, a healthy soil is probably one of the most important contributors to successful gardening. A healthy soil depends, among other things, on adequate supplies of organic matter. Well-made garden compost is excellent to ensure a healthy soil. Most garden plant residues, and much kitchen waste, including coffee, can be composted and returned to the soil.

Used coffee grounds are a good organic addition to garden compost,

• Coffee grounds can be used as a garden aid and nitrogen supplement in the garden.
• They provide generous amounts of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and copper.
• They also release nitrogen into the soil as they degrade.
• You can place them into the soil in your own garden to a depth of about 8 to 10 inches.
• It is not unusual for gardeners who like to do this to collect used coffee grounds from coffee shops or establishments selling large volumes of coffee.
• These gardeners get the discarded coffee grounds for free and in return they improve their own soil.
• You can start by saving the coffee grounds from your personal consumption every day.

Making garden compost requires good aeration, free drainage, adequate moisture and a balance between dry, straw material and soft, green plant tissues from lawn mowing. Composting is an art and takes time to learn. Through testing and evaluation of results, composting can become a natural activity for many years of enjoyable and successful gardening.

As the old adage goes, we all learn to walk before we can run. So, take a slow approach to composting by using your own used coffee grounds in a small garden area first. Use them to enrich the garden soil and enjoy the results in more beautiful and well nourished landscaping.

A recommendation: consult your gardening books or your local nursery to learn which plants benefit from adding used coffee grounds to their soil and which ones do not. For example, plants that prefer acidic soils such as rose bushes, azaleas, rhododendrons, evergreens and camellias benefit from the use of used coffee grounds as a plant food. Used coffee grounds can also act as an organic insect repellent for ants, snails and slugs. This is a nice bonus for the environmentally conscious gardeners who love to drink coffee as well!

Speaking of coffee lovers, ready to drink a cup of Brazilian Santos Bourbon?

Timothy (“Tim”) S. Collins, the author, is called by those who know him “Gourmet Coffee Guy.” He is an expert in article writing who has done extensive research online and offline in his area of expertise, coffee marketing, as well as in other areas of personal and professional interest.

Come visit the author’s website: http://www.ourgourmetcoffee.com

© Copyright – Timothy S. Collins. All Rights Reserved Worldwide

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