Benefits and Dangers of COFFEE GROUNDS and WOOD ASH in the Garden // Beginning Gardening

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  • Опубликовано: 5 июн 2024
  • If you are just beginning gardening, you might not know that coffee grounds and wood ash are two really beneficial additions to your vegetable garden. Use as a thin sprinkled mulch or in your compost, this gardening 101 video will show you more of the benefits and a few of the problems you might encounter with certain soils.
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Комментарии • 3,7 тыс.

  • @normbograham
    @normbograham 2 года назад +710

    Funny coffee grounds story. I decided I could throw the coffee grounds over the deck, and eventually go collect it. And I got up, brewed, and drank my coffee at the same time everyday. I started noticing a mouse near the coffee grounds, no problem, I just ignored him. One day I slept in. He was outside waiting, and was yelling at me. i had a coffee addicted mouse.

  • @robynlarue1815
    @robynlarue1815 2 года назад +852

    garden and coffee ground story..
    I used to have an open compost pile where I would put food scraps including coffee filters full of coffee grounds.
    One day when I went to dump more I noticed that some critter had cleaned out ALL the grounds leaving only the paper filter.
    I kept an eye on the pile and witnessed the local flock of crows taking turns cleaning out every spec of grounds.
    I then dubbed the pile "The Crow Cafe".
    One day when returning from town I got out of the car and was accosted by a barrage of screaming crows gathered around the Crow Cafe.
    I then realized I had not taken out the compost for 3 days and I was being informed that I was slacking on my duties..
    After further thought I decided to enclose the compost pile so local wildlife could not get to the pile.. for their health reasons and because the last thing the neighborhood needed was a flock of caffeine addicted crows.

  • @DMLondon
    @DMLondon 2 года назад +144

    We struggled with blueberries on my property for many years, my husband simply gave up on them. Then, I discovered a nice trick. In the fall, I mulched the blueberry beds with a thick layer of green pine needles. Then, in the springtime when the buds are starting to fatten up, I “wake up” the blueberries by watering them with water steeped in one cup of fresh coffee grounds. The coffee brings the ph right to the perfect level. They’ve never looked better!

    • @georgewashington3555
      @georgewashington3555 Год назад +2

      nice thanks

    • @davidjudd951
      @davidjudd951 Год назад +8

      Folgers, or Maxwell House?

    • @bonnieparsons8526
      @bonnieparsons8526 Год назад +4

      ​@@davidjudd951 😃😄😁😄🤪

    • @countryvita
      @countryvita Год назад +11

      ‘Perked’ them right up. Huh? 😂

    • @KO-tr2cj
      @KO-tr2cj Год назад +5

      I use watered down (approximately 1 cup fresh brewed coffee/espresso to 1 gallon water) coffee to "fertilize" my flowering plants. Started doing it many years ago with African violets and had the most beautiful constant bloomers you can imagine. I don't have too many flowering plants now, but whenever I end up with extra coffee, rather than throw it out, I water it down and feed it to the plants. Decided to try it on an orchid that hasn't bloomed in three years--the first bud opened sometime yesterday or this morning and there are at least six more to go. Never guessed that would happen, but figured there was nothing to lose after all this time. I'd given up on it doing more than just putting out a new leaf every so often. Purslane also appears to enjoy it as well.

  • @stevenstreet7513
    @stevenstreet7513 Год назад +36

    My wife has been dumping coffee grounds off the back porch, in the same spot for 20 years. Underneath are the largest night crawlers you have ever seen. Good fishing bait.

    • @neclark08
      @neclark08 2 месяца назад

      Wow -- that works to DIS-prove the notion that the remaining caffeine in brewed coffee grounds is toxic to worms !

    • @terroristcam
      @terroristcam Месяц назад

      No birds or mice ?

    • @beverlycharles6534
      @beverlycharles6534 18 дней назад

      For every action there is a reaction.

  • @sharononeal7183
    @sharononeal7183 3 года назад +325

    One year I added homemade compost which had coffee grounds under a hydrangea. The resulting pH balance gave blooms that were half pink and half blue on the same blooms! Very beautiful and happy accident!

    • @Sense2024
      @Sense2024 2 года назад +13

      See! Coffee grounds DO change pH

    • @xXxKingjonxXx
      @xXxKingjonxXx 2 года назад +8

      Would love to see pictures

    • @Sense2024
      @Sense2024 2 года назад +4

      @Gretchen K. ☕️

    • @donaldaustin7973
      @donaldaustin7973 2 года назад

      @@Sense2024 ]]p

    • @tamijoiskewl
      @tamijoiskewl 2 года назад

      Do not use coffee that is flavored the oils are toxic

  • @mystsilver9331
    @mystsilver9331 3 года назад +272

    Many years ago I lived in Tennessee and decided I was going to plant a dogwood tree in my yard. I dug a hole 4 in deeper than necessary, mixed used coffee grounds with rich soil to put in the bottom of the hole. I covered that with 2 in of soil and then made a mound to set my baby tree on. I think covered the rest of the root of the tree and watered well. With minimum maintenance I grew the most outstanding dogwood tree with the most brilliant pink flowers. It grew fast, tall and wide.
    All of those neighbors who told me that I could not grow a dogwood tree in that area of Tennessee were forever humbled because I told them I could and I did

    • @EvilSearchEngine
      @EvilSearchEngine 2 года назад +14

      Don't tell me no!
      'Murica!

    • @sidmac50
      @sidmac50 2 года назад +21

      I live in East Tennessee and we are known for Dogwood trees- we even have a Dogwood Arts festival...not sure why people told you that.

    • @mystsilver9331
      @mystsilver9331 2 года назад +8

      @@sidmac50 I lived in Wayne County and the soil there did not seem very hospitable for dogwood at the time

    • @ValerieDee123
      @ValerieDee123 2 года назад +8

      Tennessee is known for "Dogwood Winter". C'mon man!

    • @debbieclark4726
      @debbieclark4726 2 года назад +2

      @@ValerieDee123 haha 👍

  • @TheBigRedChef
    @TheBigRedChef Год назад +23

    I actually got in trouble with my landlord a little, using coffee grounds as an amendment. I was just using my grounds from my morning filter press coffee, pouring it around the base of some fruit trees we had in the back yard.
    The rental contract had the landlord taking care of the trees, and he came to me a couple months later, asking what the hell happened to the trees, as they were fruiting so prodigously, some of the branches were close to breaking. When I told him what I had been doing, he was just like, "please stop".

    • @Muninn801
      @Muninn801 Год назад +2

      Lol!

    • @watrgrl2
      @watrgrl2 9 дней назад +1

      What an idiot landlord! He should have thanked you!

  • @NevadaScrubJay
    @NevadaScrubJay Год назад +10

    After planting a number of new pines in my backyard, I heard pines love coffee grounds. I started collected the grounds for a couple days at a time and then threw them on top of the soil under these new plantings. After just a couple years, the pines went from about 5 ft to 25 ft. I was amazed. I stopped after two or three years and started putting them, along with other vegetable scraps, into vermiculture compost bins. Those bins turned into a 5 ft diameter leaf, grass, and kitchen scrap pile. This large compost pile has now survived a couple cold winters. It creates enough heat to stay above 50 degrees which is fine for the worms. The only problem is the decomposition heat during the summer. When it gets to hot, I try breaking it up to slow down the chemistry. Several times, the temps have gotten as high as 140 degrees. I figured my worms were all dead. But, no, some seem to migrate to a bit cool spot where they survive. The final compost is fabulous.

  • @nunyabiznez6381
    @nunyabiznez6381 4 года назад +562

    My Dad had a wonderful vegetable garden when I was a kid. The first year we lived there he rented a rototiller and taught us how to turn a 1/4 acre of our property into a garden breaking up the old sod that used to be part of the meadow out back. The soil was rich, nearly black and we discovered it went down about five feet before we hit a three foot layer of orange clay followed by all sand under that. We learned this when he dug the well. Fortunately he only had to dig down about nine feet before we hit water. Then my Dad went insane and started doing things that were absolutely crazy. Now we had moved in September so it was too late to plant that year. Everything we were doing was to prepare for the first year. When the town advertised that they were accepting bids to clean up the old bonfire pit behind the high school my dad underbid everyone and basically only bid enough to rent the truck. My brother, Dad and I spent every weekend until October shoveling ash into that truck. Then we'd drive home and dump it all into the garden and do it again. Before the first snow we hit another part of the property and my brother and I had to rake away about 1/4 acre of pine needles to expose what was under the needles. He called it pine "humus" but I'm not sure if that's the correct term. We must have made hundreds of trips with the wheel barrow dumping all that into the garden. Next my dad found out about a poultry farm that supplied most of the eggs to the town as well as powdered eggs to the military. When you are in the business of making powdered eggs you end up with a lot of shells. My Dad went to talk to the owner and nest thing I knew my brother and I were shoveling tons of broken chicken egg shells into drums. I'm glad we were only a quarter of a mile away. That's a long way to roll a 55 gallon steel drum for an 11 year old but egg shells don't weight much so it wasn't that heavy. finally the following February my mother had become friends with a woman who had horses. She'd kept horses there for a dozen years and had mounds of horse poop for each year she was there. She ran out of space and was going to hire someone to lug it all away. Well you guessed it. Dad made a deal with her and got the whole load and got paid for it to boot. We put the newest three mounds into our newly formed compost pile an took the other nine years worth and spread it into our garden. My Dad called the above mixture "Super Dirt." So anyways, between a heavier than usual early spring rain and a sunnier than usual late spring by July we were growing 7 foot tomato trees with two inch diameter stalks, Cucumbers the size of Zucchini and Zucchini the size of Watermelon. We had foot long green beans and Roma tomatoes that were six inches long. My mom had three foot marigold bushes. Our strawberries were the size of small apples and deep red to the core. And out of only about twenty corn stalks we got about 60 huge ears of corn. When my uncle came to visit (he's from Nebraska) he exclaimed that our garden was impossible and that he demanded to know from which secret government lab my Dad stole the corn seeds from. Dad grew about twenty other vegetables that I don't remember all of them and he mixed the soil additives differently for each patch of the garden. He did the whole thing very scientifically despite being functionally illiterate having struggled through six years of high school to come out with a C- average before being drafted for the Korean War. He had been raised on a farm with poor Cape Cod sandy soil and apparently learned a few tricks. One thing though. In subsequent years he always dumped the contents of the barbecue grill into the garden with no ill effects and he always grilled with charcoal briquets and that leads me to a question, why do you recommend not using charcoal briquets? You merely say don't use them but you don't explain why.

    • @lsb9073
      @lsb9073 4 года назад +34

      They usually have all kinds of crap in them to help them burn. Depends what kind you buy, I guess. Briquettes are made of compressed wood shavings that will need some kind of binding agent which may or may not be undesireable, with additives to make them light quickly, burn hotter or longer.

    • @honestyfaithful
      @honestyfaithful 4 года назад +111

      Your dads story is WONDERFUL,,, my grandpa was the same way... I just wish I could remember what I would see him doing. His garden grew so much food he and my grand ma sold it to the locals, the garden was about 20x30..... it would be such a blessing to go back and learn the true old ways of gardening... have a blessed day 😊🌻😊Robin

    • @NextLevelGardening
      @NextLevelGardening  4 года назад +55

      Thanks for sharing that story! The charcoal bricketts have lots of chemicals in them

    • @barbarabachman5268
      @barbarabachman5268 4 года назад +47

      nunya biznez my grandma used to throw her used dishwater into the garden. It was always a very productive area!

    • @klincecum
      @klincecum 4 года назад +3

      @@NextLevelGardening They don't.

  • @russellchevrette8467
    @russellchevrette8467 3 года назад +691

    Just want to say that everything presented here is fully substantiated by various scientific papers coming out of agricultural colleges and county extension agencies. You have obviously done your homework. We need more presentations like this. Keep up the good work.

    • @crazysquirrel9425
      @crazysquirrel9425 3 года назад +25

      I would like to point out that coffee plants are beginning to be sprayed with herbicides and pesticides.
      Getting harder to find truly organic coffee anymore.

    • @shexdensmore
      @shexdensmore 3 года назад +4

      Could you produce the links to these papers?

    • @crazysquirrel9425
      @crazysquirrel9425 3 года назад +3

      @@shexdensmore Here is one out of MANY: www.shearwatercoffeeroasters.com/toxic-pesticides-used-conventional-non-organic-coffee-farms/

    • @timjones8210
      @timjones8210 2 года назад +5

      No we don’t. Think for yourself.

    • @davidsorrells736
      @davidsorrells736 2 года назад +4

      Would like to see the biochar making video.

  • @williampolk8009
    @williampolk8009 Год назад +11

    Love when you two hang out doing videos.

  • @Grow_With_April
    @Grow_With_April 3 года назад +74

    I homeschool and we’re doing this next week. Howwww awesome!

    • @huntersharddrive6951
      @huntersharddrive6951 3 года назад +5

      Good on you for homeschooling, your kid/kids are very lucky!

    • @SoldrfMfortune
      @SoldrfMfortune 3 года назад +2

      Good on you! What curriculum, or combination of curricula? I believe abecca and Saxon are still leaders in english and math, respectively. I was raised on the LifePac (Alpha Omega) curriculum.

    • @lanafalana
      @lanafalana 3 года назад +1

      Great job Mom. Homeschooling and experiments!

  • @dn744
    @dn744 3 года назад +64

    Who needs a TV, when you can be doing this. Free fun, with education

    • @lewislinzy3437
      @lewislinzy3437 3 года назад +4

      I got rid of WORTHLESS add ridden TV 6 years ago & don't EVER intend to pay good money for that garbage again.

    • @mariap.thisislife8735
      @mariap.thisislife8735 3 года назад +2

      Drama free! On some of these channels...

    • @ruthsmith6920
      @ruthsmith6920 3 года назад +1

      Thank you all, very good on teaching a dummy like me. Thank all yall, God bless you and yours.

    • @mariap.thisislife8735
      @mariap.thisislife8735 3 года назад

      @@ruthsmith6920 Oh, your A-ok!! We all learn something new everyday ☺️👍❤️🌄

    • @ruthsmith6920
      @ruthsmith6920 3 года назад

      @@mariap.thisislife8735 , thank you sir.

  • @dougmorissette459
    @dougmorissette459 Год назад +73

    Another great video! For 4 years I had an extreme ant infestation inside my greenhouse. I decided to put a layer of coffee grounds from my coffee machine onto the surface of the soil as a mulch to see what would happen as I had 5 gallons of coffee grounds saved. To my surprise after one month there was only the odd ant that I found in my greenhouse. I did not mix the coffee grounds into the soil at all and cleared them from each planting hole when transplanting my vegetable starts. After 6 months I have only found about 4 ants in the greenhouse and for the first time in 5 years I have a bumper crop of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and my basil, chives, Italian parsley, Greek oregano, Rosemary and thyme are massive plants. Just thought that I would share my experience with you. Thanks again for the information.

    • @carlandersonlll6861
      @carlandersonlll6861 2 месяца назад

      Did you have any Coffee Bean Weevils from the coffee grounds? I did in my container with a Sweet Pepper plant that was fully grown.

    • @quenemoend
      @quenemoend 2 месяца назад

      Ants don’t like the smell of peppermint oil either. When I get ants entering the house I just put peppermint oil in the area or around the entrance and boom, they disappear.

  • @deeferry6520
    @deeferry6520 2 года назад +23

    I occasionally mix coffee grounds, egg shells and banana skins, whittled down in my blender, mixed with a little water to feed my indoor plants with. Its not something I do regularly, just every now and again and they seem to appreciate it. I have very healthy house plants lol. I never thought to do it in my garden but now I know. Thanks for sharing.

    • @dirtpoorchris
      @dirtpoorchris Год назад

      If you have ANY house plants that are dying pretty much just add ANY dead plant matter to the top soil and let it rot away and your plant will form a bacteria symbiosis and get what it needs. 1 spoonfull of coffee grounds can turn a dying houseplant into a green super spreader. Alot of poeple are just scared of the white webby mycelium layer it forms for a few weeks.

  • @christinepemberton5077
    @christinepemberton5077 2 года назад +137

    My Grandfather always grew a huge garden. He used egg shells, coffee grounds, tea leaves, vegetable peels and ends from the kitchen, and leaves. He would let them sit and compost after each growing season until the next growing season.

    • @hugowiberg1843
      @hugowiberg1843 Год назад +3

      Sounds about right...
      I have to store it in the kitchen trash and smuggle it out of the house under cover of darkness of the whole fandamily will bag it & tag it.

    • @brianfitch5469
      @brianfitch5469 Год назад

      ​@@hugowiberg1843 so where do you compost if you have to sneak and hide the compost?

    • @hugowiberg1843
      @hugowiberg1843 Год назад +2

      @@brianfitch5469 I think I am wearing them down! I recycle used 1 gallon zip lock bags & pull it to the top of the trash. Some times it gets to sit in the sink.
      Yesterday, my wife put two of her teabags on it!!
      As of today, all this year's compost is used up, under pumpkins, beets, carrots and 30 tomatoes!
      HAPPY GARDENING!

    • @brianfitch5469
      @brianfitch5469 Год назад

      @@hugowiberg1843 Don't take this the wrong way. But grab your balls and tell your wife your going to set up a compost bin. Married for ten years and there's no way my wife would tell me or would I let her I couldn't have a compost bin. Take your balls back from her.
      Get a couple 35 gallon trash cans and drill some holes and turn them once a week or whenever. She doesn't have to deal with it or smell it. When done right it doesn't really stink.
      Best of luck

    • @glow1815
      @glow1815 Год назад +4

      Christian Pemberton same here I mixed coffee ground with eggshell. I don't compose it I jus
      t throw in to the soil so as fruits peels I cut it in pieces. I never knew Orange peels also helps with insects from eatting my basil and mint.

  • @functionsteacher4176
    @functionsteacher4176 3 года назад +118

    I had lots of snails in my garden when I moved into our house... read in an old garden book that coffee grounds repel snails. I have been sprinkling our used coffee grounds on the garden over the last 3 years and it works a treat! No more snails 👍🐌

    • @SW-ii5gg
      @SW-ii5gg 2 года назад +11

      Worked in my backyard, used to be a lot of slugs there, they have been gone for a while now, they came back after I stopped throwing them out back for about 8 months because I put them in a compost container so I started throwing them out again and they are gone again.

    • @AVSgirl1985
      @AVSgirl1985 2 года назад +6

      Do you just throw them into the grass too? Or only in garden areas?
      TONS of snails here!

    • @hjd832
      @hjd832 2 года назад +11

      That’s great to know…. I’ve had snails on the scale of a biblical plague !

    • @SW-ii5gg
      @SW-ii5gg 2 года назад +4

      @@AVSgirl1985 I just throw them out in the grass wherever I think it needs some and pick up the paper after it's dry and the grounds are scattered.

    • @rosainecalmeyer4428
      @rosainecalmeyer4428 2 года назад +1

      I fill up the coffee pot with the used grounds in with water and just chuck it over the garden. Is this ok

  • @valerieprice1745
    @valerieprice1745 Год назад +24

    My Grandpa used coffee grounds and wood ash in his garden for decades. In neutral soils, it's perfect. Other kitchen scraps should be mixed in, but it's the traditional method used for centuries on more than one continent.

  • @reliablyrandomoutdoors
    @reliablyrandomoutdoors 2 года назад +3

    I have been adding ash and coffee grounds to my garden for years, but I learned a little more about it today. Nice vid, very thorough.

  • @bigweirdchick
    @bigweirdchick 4 года назад +79

    I work in a grocery store with a small coffee shop inside of it and I have them save all the grounds in a bucket for me. I've been spreading them in my garden for years. My 67 year old aunt who's a veteran gardener tells me she's never seen plants grow so big and get so many flowers.

    • @themaximusone
      @themaximusone 3 года назад

      agreed does your Grandmother do any videos I would sit and wait at the edge of her driveway for 24 hours just to talk to her for an hour and pick her brain ;)

    • @garynaylor6494
      @garynaylor6494 3 года назад

      Ggsknaylor

  • @grannybee
    @grannybee 3 года назад +20

    I live in the Fraser Valley where it's always raining. I have been spreading coffee grounds on my lawn. I've actually noticed a huge improvement. This is what attracted me to your channel.

  • @p.collins6251
    @p.collins6251 Год назад +7

    Nice to see you and your son. He's adorable You are both very lucky.

  • @DankDadReviews
    @DankDadReviews 2 года назад +6

    I go to the local Cumberland Farms and get the full trash bags of grounds. They are more then happy to give them to you. I add this bag to my compost pile and allow it to be worked in over the next few months.

  • @Tygydyk17
    @Tygydyk17 7 месяцев назад +5

    Great father and awesome son. Priceless.

  • @r.j.sigmund2424
    @r.j.sigmund2424 3 года назад +78

    i've been using 1000 to 2000 pounds of coffee grounds from our local coffee shop on my large garden for several years and have encountered no problem, even though my soil is excessively acidic to start with...i also mulch heavily with maple leaves that i save over the winter & my yields far exceed those of conventional gardeners...

    • @TheRainHarvester
      @TheRainHarvester 2 года назад

      My soil gets hydrophobic if I put too many coffee grounds. How do you avoid that? I use leaves and coffee grounds...checkout my channel!

    • @hawkvalleyherbs6065
      @hawkvalleyherbs6065 2 года назад +1

      Nonorganic coffee has bad chemicals and pesticides in it. I don't recommend adding it to a garden unless its organic.

    • @TheRainHarvester
      @TheRainHarvester 2 года назад +1

      @@hawkvalleyherbs6065 I heard this too. Do you know of any studies/reports etc that quantifies the danger?

    • @TheRainHarvester
      @TheRainHarvester 2 года назад

      I mean people drink it, but maybe it gets more concentrated in plants? Not sure.

    • @natashanonnattive4818
      @natashanonnattive4818 2 года назад

      @TheRainHarvester add The Natural raised bed top soil and worm castings

  • @robertdouglas8895
    @robertdouglas8895 3 года назад +10

    I make many layers in my compost: hay from Craig's list for free...cold, old manure, not fresh... forest soil because of the microorganisms... sand for the worms...coffee grounds from the coffee shop... worms from an old pile... weeds,early summer weeds if you want to keep out the seeds... mulched leaves...algae scrapped off the surface of my pond... greens the local grocery store throws out. Keep it damp. You don't have to turn it. Add lots of greens just before winter and in any pile that the worms have depleted of them. Put layers of plastic and hay on top in the winter. I put three layers where I live because it gets down to 15 below zero. Use the piles you started first last Summer and you'll have great potting soil and compost.

  • @bonniespruin6369
    @bonniespruin6369 Год назад

    Thanks! I'm a beginner, we just started container gardening yesterday! I'm enjoying learning lots of new information about gardening!

  • @ngreen1596
    @ngreen1596 2 месяца назад +2

    Your soil pH test is ingenious! So obvious to do, but I never thought of it. Thank you. Great show. Very informative. 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

  • @judedewitt2169
    @judedewitt2169 4 года назад +17

    I always add the coffee grounds to my compost pile. But you are correct...the worms love them! They also help to loosen, or lighten my clay soil.

  • @bingsterdc
    @bingsterdc 3 года назад +183

    When I was a teenager, my father used to save up the coffee grounds and sprinkle them under our azaleas. I don't know what was going on chemically, but the azaleas absolutely loved it. The bloom production increased and the rate of growth increased as well. We had the most beautiful azaleas on the block, and it was mainly because of the regular depositing of coffee grounds beneath them.

    • @a0flj0
      @a0flj0 3 года назад +31

      Most plants dislike acidic soils - azaleas love them. Only, not overly acidic, just slightly so. Coffee grounds may have lost most of their acidity during brewing, but do remain slightly acidic. Also, as bacteria break down the coffee grounds, the resulting nitrogen compounds further increase acidity - slightly. The resulting constant flux of nitrogen compounds and acidic compounds washed into the ground when you water the plant is just perfect for azaleas. If you spread some ground egg shells on top of the grounds, from time to time, this kind of fertilization works well for plants that don't like acidic soils too - provided they aren't also lime intolerant. Lime, unfortunately, is everywhere. However, it's less in softwood ash than it is in hardwood ash, and since ash in general is strongly alkaline, a tiny amount is enough to neutralize the very low acidity of coffee grounds.

    • @thomas2782
      @thomas2782 2 года назад +6

      Imma try this... I usually throw coffee grounds into the compost bin

    • @lindyswanson1
      @lindyswanson1 2 года назад +12

      Lol! That explains why my plants were so stunted. I mixed lots of coffee grounds into the soil. My mom always warned my brother, "Don't drink too much coffee or your growth will get stunted." So I just assumed I'd planted too much, but IDK why because that brother turned out taller than everyone in the family! Haha!

    • @percybyssheshelley8573
      @percybyssheshelley8573 2 года назад +1

      That's been my experience here in California, too.

    • @TriciaAgnew
      @TriciaAgnew 2 года назад +6

      My mama did the same thing with azaleas around a pine tree in our front yard and a daily dose of used coffee grounds. The plants were absolutely covered with the brightest fuchsia blooms and the plants were at least 6 feet tall. I wish I had a photo I could share.

  • @glassguy777
    @glassguy777 2 года назад +21

    I’ve been using ash for a couple of years. You’re right, my plants have been pretty big. Thanks for the tip on checking ph levels.

  • @donnakennell5111
    @donnakennell5111 Месяц назад +1

    You & Noah are great together. You're blessed to have each other. Thanks for the info and the smiles.

  • @kaserrex9509
    @kaserrex9509 3 года назад +17

    I have been composting for at least 15 years. Adding used coffee and tree leaves bring the most improvement!

  • @kipgarwood-tull3173
    @kipgarwood-tull3173 3 года назад +33

    red cabbage is also a great pH indicator. Red cabbage contains a water-soluble pigment called anthocyanin that changes color when it is mixed with an acid or a base. The pigment turns red in acidic environments with a pH less than 7 and the pigment turns bluish-green in alkaline (basic), environments with a pH greater than 7.

    • @toneenorman2135
      @toneenorman2135 2 года назад +3

      Would you please explain how you use the cabbage? Thank you.

    • @kipgarwood-tull3173
      @kipgarwood-tull3173 2 года назад +8

      @@toneenorman2135 you cook red cabbage and use the red water and a pH indicator as described above.

    • @daala6698
      @daala6698 2 года назад +2

      blueberries too. beets too.

  • @juliamontoya4153
    @juliamontoya4153 2 года назад +3

    Thank you for the information. I’m definitely a beginner gardener, so this comes at a good time.
    You make a good team!

  • @HavaWM
    @HavaWM 2 года назад +11

    Just wanted to say thanks for warning about the wood ash. We live in Idaho and have a woodstove that is our heat in the winter, so we have a LOT of wood ash. I googled uses for wood ash and saw that you could use it on your garden, so two years ago (when this video was being made, actually) I made sure to liberally sprinkle every plant with wood ash when planting it.
    Our garden died. Like, D.E.A.D. I don’t think we got a darn thing out of it. Discouraged, I didn’t plant a garden this past year (2021).
    And then during late winter of this year (January 2022), I stumbled across the fact that wood ash will make your soil more alkaline.
    Now, I’ve never had my soil tested but I knew immediately what the problem was with my failed 2020 garden.
    Quick - think of a plant that’s associated with Idaho.
    Potatoes, right?
    Guess what kind of soil potatoes love? Alkaline.
    Our soil is already alkaline. Adding wood ash to it just sent it off the charts. 🤦🏻‍♀️ No wonder nothing grew.
    Now we sprinkle the wood ash into the compost bin when we add in new ingredients. Much better use for them in high alkaline Idaho.
    So I appreciate videos like this where you explain that wood ash isn’t just for every type of soil. If I’d known that, I probably would’ve had a thriving garden in 2020 and 2021.
    2022 it is! Better late than never, right? 😄
    Keep up the good work!

    • @Kim.Miller
      @Kim.Miller Год назад

      Hey, just read your comment and I'm wondering if you grew a garden this year!

  • @tirusew
    @tirusew 3 года назад +18

    Great father and son. I actually lit up when I saw your son came up. Great work both, I learned something.

  • @BrettCrystal
    @BrettCrystal 4 года назад +49

    It is so much fun to watch you with Noah in your videos. Your smile shows how proud you are as a father, and inspires me to do more gardening with my children. And we are absolutely going to do this soil test this weekend! Thank you for another great video!

  • @lynnodonnell4764
    @lynnodonnell4764 2 года назад

    I am blown away by your presentation. Your speaking skills are clear, consice and even spaced

  • @Hi-fe2rg
    @Hi-fe2rg 2 года назад +3

    Thank you so much for the science lesson. I'll pass this along to my teacher friends. I enjoyed this so much. Very informative. I've seen some other videos on coffee grounds and ash but they didn't explain the pros and cons and mixing things very well.

  • @jyi5506
    @jyi5506 4 года назад +16

    Love, love, love all you teach us! Thank you. I’ve learned sooo much in just one of your videos-again. Hey Noah! Hope you share with us more! Great team!
    A Big “Stay Well!” to your family

  • @softgoodsint
    @softgoodsint 3 года назад +24

    Sensible, informative, interesting and how cute the segment with your son. Gardening for decades yet there's always more to learn.

  • @kathypollari7122
    @kathypollari7122 3 месяца назад +3

    I would love to see more current videos and your son would be a marvelous bonus. 3 years older, of course. I love the informative videos you share. Thank you.

  • @always_b_natural703
    @always_b_natural703 Год назад

    Noah is definition of 'chip off the old block'
    What a lovely thing to see. I loved gardening with my Dad.

  • @WmTyndale
    @WmTyndale 4 года назад +181

    Houston: collected bags of coffee grounds from the HEB supermarket. spread on the soil during the fall for two weeks then turned it under. Rotate the soil, several times before planting at beginning of March. Explosive improvement in growth, greenness and output which I attribute to the trace minerals as many coffees are grown in rich, mountain or volcanic soils.
    cherry tomatoes, squash, basil, cilantro.

    • @freedomofspeech122
      @freedomofspeech122 4 года назад +3

      Thank you!

    • @marycoleman3711
      @marycoleman3711 3 года назад +5

      I just collect my coffee grounds and add them to my garden all year long

    • @mysticamethyst1398
      @mysticamethyst1398 3 года назад +1

      You're from Texas!!!! 😭😭😭I miss my home so much!!!

  • @carriecraiger3929
    @carriecraiger3929 4 года назад +124

    I had a “run away” cherry tomato, that rolled over to a pile of wood ash from my non fires. And it grew massive right next to the pile and much better than any of other tomatoes.

    • @EdLillywhiteNorton
      @EdLillywhiteNorton 4 года назад +4

      I've used ash around tomatoes too. But I do add pine straw and maybe it all balances out.

    • @percyisland
      @percyisland 3 года назад

      I found ash great for the toms on middle Percy island . Thanks for the reminder 👍🎉🐝

    • @margaritamannanova51
      @margaritamannanova51 2 года назад +2

      Is there any probability you have acidic soil? Maybe ash just corrected the soil into more alcaline?

  • @spaaggetii
    @spaaggetii 2 года назад +58

    I worked on a worm farm for 5 years. This was to 'grow the worms', then we graded, sorted them into Compost Starter Boxes or support boxes. We had a local Cafe that would keep the spent coffee grounds and we would add them to the worm beds. The beds were watered very well. Also we would add Lime and other "secret" ingredients. Coffee grounds helped the worms a lot. I don't know if the worms aquired an addiction to caffeine, but I doubt they did as they did not try to crawl out of the boxes in the cool area, unlike some brought crazy worms we had to buy as business was booooooming. Coffee grounds are a great usually free addition for worms, but remember to keep them in shade and wet a piece of carpet or something on top of the compost your worms live in. if it rains they will come to the top to avoid drowning and if its hot, they will need added moisture/ coolness

    • @kevintaylor1434
      @kevintaylor1434 Год назад +2

      Thanks for the hints , thinking about raising some worms .3.50 a dozen is outrageous

    • @erbauungstutztaufgnade1875
      @erbauungstutztaufgnade1875 Год назад +2

      Thanks

    • @Ghengiskhansmum
      @Ghengiskhansmum Год назад +1

      Carpets can cause pollution depending on its composition. Many have plastic, rubber or other little nasties in them.

    • @peruviansalad
      @peruviansalad Год назад

      Caffeine is an extremely water soluble alkaloid and 99% of it will have been leeched out during the brewing process.

    • @josephobrien991
      @josephobrien991 Год назад

      By crazy worms do you mean asian jumping worms? I hope not, because they will take over and are extremely detrimental to your soil.

  • @cedrichassell7902
    @cedrichassell7902 2 года назад +1

    I have been doing this for years!
    Thanks for confirming the benefits 🙏🙏

  • @leiaclark8388
    @leiaclark8388 3 года назад +43

    I add coffee grounds to my hydrangea bush regularly, and it has huge deep purple blooms. It’s a rock star!

    • @mattiwilson6542
      @mattiwilson6542 3 года назад +2

      Good to know, thanks

    • @u.synlig
      @u.synlig 3 года назад

      @Meta Thinking A Dutch friend used to bury a small copper coin (low denomination) in the hydrangea’s pot. That was all that it took, to keep the blooms blue.

    • @eriknichols4148
      @eriknichols4148 3 года назад +5

      I add coffee grounds to my coffee maker

    • @scoop2591
      @scoop2591 2 года назад +1

      @@eriknichols4148 LOL ! Genius! Why didn't I think of that???😂

  • @jthor3097
    @jthor3097 4 года назад +425

    I thought he was going to say the best way to get ALL of the benefits of coffee in your garden is to sit back with a good cup of coffee in the morning, in your garden, and admire your plants. 🤣🤣

  • @beckeecarrier4616
    @beckeecarrier4616 Год назад +3

    Especially love ph testing... It removes the mystery of analyzing your garden problems. Home solutions are so very helpful❤

  • @mrf5347
    @mrf5347 2 года назад +3

    VERY practical and well done!
    I love the soil testing experiment

  • @grape1829
    @grape1829 4 года назад +13

    Such a complete set of info, not just a "hey I use this and it works, follow what I do" that kills my plants.

  • @tammytamz3046
    @tammytamz3046 4 года назад +15

    I’m a new watcher. Loved that you got your son involved. He’s a natural!

  • @lindamariebutler700
    @lindamariebutler700 Год назад +2

    I been jousting organic coffee grounds on my fresh Basel and all my plants … and it’s been 5 years and they are doing great 👍 !

  • @Happy2Run4Me
    @Happy2Run4Me Год назад +3

    I use coffee grounds in my compost and it’s been super beneficial to my plants in that form. It breaks down pretty quickly which is nice too. I use the bokashi method for all my kitchen scraps. I made my own bucket with a spigot and use the liquid (200:1 dilution) as a liquid fertilizer as well. The plants love it too!

  • @dawnruhl8405
    @dawnruhl8405 3 года назад +8

    My grandparents were off the boat Germans & had 2 acres that they planted mostly gardens. Maybe half an acre of grass. My grandmother had me taking stuff out to the compost bin when I was 6. I remember her sprinkling fresh ground coffee around the azaleas by her front door. I had forgotten so much that this video reminded me of. Thank you. They were happy memories.

  • @ambadale
    @ambadale 3 года назад +22

    Loved the acidic vs alkaline test and using your young helper to demonstrate the Ph level of the soil.

  • @ddhughes13
    @ddhughes13 2 года назад +1

    Ahhh. Thank you for explaining the how, why, and data. Very enlightening info for beginner to a lifer gardener.

  • @justatitle
    @justatitle 2 месяца назад +1

    What a doll! Your son is so fun, like you. Loved this video. What great tips!!! Thanks!

  • @suzannelowell8062
    @suzannelowell8062 3 года назад +9

    First time gardening in pretty complicated conditions where I live. Just discovered your channel and appreciate your knowledge and expertise. I will be watching more of you!! Thank you!!

  • @steveslack5721
    @steveslack5721 4 года назад +23

    I've used coffee grounds in my garden and around trees for years. Luckily I've not had any negatives. I now know how to properly apply thanks to Brian.

  • @gobbletegook
    @gobbletegook 2 года назад +53

    Thanx for posting! Also...don't forget EGG SHELLS! You have to crunch them up into smaller pieces...but they are wonderful for adding drainage when you sprinkle some on top and into the ground. Repels slugs and snails as well!

    • @buzzer2012
      @buzzer2012 2 года назад

      Does this not repeal worms as well ?

    • @theresahouck3516
      @theresahouck3516 2 года назад +1

      @@buzzer2012 I have heard that it has not been proven that egg shells repels snails

    • @bonniegierach5027
      @bonniegierach5027 2 года назад +1

      No, but it will get the skunks, possum, and especially raccoons to dig in your flower bed.

    • @janinafisher101
      @janinafisher101 2 года назад

      I rinse my egg shells then put them in a can just big enough for a potato masher. I give them a mash with the potato masher and when the can is full I whirl them around in my Magic Bullet blender until the pieces are small - around the size of grains of sugar. I sprinkle these around my veggie seedlings to repel the slugs. (The shell fragments are too sharp for the slugs.)

    • @janinafisher101
      @janinafisher101 2 года назад +1

      @@theresahouck3516 I have been doing this for some time and have never had slugs in my garden.

  • @aussiepressconferences.4755
    @aussiepressconferences.4755 Год назад

    Good to see your son was happy and interested in helping.

  • @BrightestBlessings7899
    @BrightestBlessings7899 2 года назад +46

    I have been using both in my compost for ages. I put compost tea under my new transplants and it seems to help them not go into shock too badly. Have not had any coffee grounds for over a year, seeing way more pests but also added some new plants. Brassicas don't do well here. Great info , thanks. I did not know blueberries love coffee grounds.
    Our dogs would also try to eat my gardens soil. They gave it up, when I took them off kibble. They eat whole foods now. No more eating the soil.

  • @kayjay2588
    @kayjay2588 2 года назад +18

    Enjoyed your video! Our Mom grew up during the Depression, and there was nothing wasted. Mom would throw the spent tea bags, along with the grinds, and later, the Mr.Coffee filters were chucked-out too!

  • @margaretdecker8128
    @margaretdecker8128 2 года назад

    What a joy to see your happy son with you! Many thanks for all the info!

  • @jennifersvitko5997
    @jennifersvitko5997 2 года назад +2

    My berry bushes, (red and black raspberry and currant) LOVE coffee grounds. I had a transplanted red currant that had died back to only two sad stems with a few leaves. I added coffee grounds around the plant in mid-summer. After that, it put up new stems, leaves and actually produced a few currants. Years later, it is my largest and most productive red currant bush. My raspberries grow hugely large canes and produce in profusion.

  • @SalmonKing52
    @SalmonKing52 2 года назад +11

    THANK YOU!!!
    I have been wanting to find an easy, inexpensive way to test my soil for a long time.
    Your timing is perfect!
    Thanks again!
    Great job Noah!!

    • @summerrain431
      @summerrain431 2 года назад

      I got no reaction with vinegar, and only slight reaction with b.soda. So is my soil acidic?

  • @suepetersen9725
    @suepetersen9725 4 года назад +7

    Thanks for the information , I will try your suggestion to testing my soil. Great job both of you. Nice to see a parent encourage the next generation.

  • @debraharrow3733
    @debraharrow3733 2 года назад

    Love that you are teaching your own kid while you teach us❣️

  • @mohamed33129
    @mohamed33129 Год назад

    I have been looking for a while for a simple way to know the type of soil if it is acidic or alkaline. And I just discovered this video now, thanks man

  • @tmaa4bk949
    @tmaa4bk949 4 года назад +4

    Thanks! I've been using Coffee Grounds for a few years now...will try the wood ash next spring. Cool Kid...HE ADDED to A GREAT ENDING😎

  • @telmosilva9161
    @telmosilva9161 4 года назад +12

    We have been using coffee grounds for 2 years now with the composte, we mix it with the leftover greens and weeds and straw from poltry and left over ash from cooking.
    Cabbages and other leafy greens seem to be the most apreciative with the mix, having wielded much more since we started using it.

  • @jrt5416
    @jrt5416 Год назад +11

    We added worm towers to our raised garden beds and periodically put our used coffee grounds directly in the top of the towers. The worms love it and as a result of their increased sized and activity throughout the gardens, our produce has been delicious and prolific. Love the channel! Thanks for so.much great information!

  • @jett888
    @jett888 2 месяца назад +1

    What a sweet boy- I hope
    he realizes how lucky he is to have a
    knowledgeable dad around who can teach him about plants!!

  • @Liendoelcm
    @Liendoelcm 3 года назад +4

    Had good success this summer with used coffee grounds and tea leaves around my roses this year lightly scratched into the top soil.

  • @jeffriffel4364
    @jeffriffel4364 4 года назад +67

    Keeping kids interested in gardening is priceless and now is the perfect time to get into it.

    • @253abd
      @253abd 4 года назад +2

      Absolutely. It is definately a good time to start being a farmer on any scale!

    • @253abd
      @253abd 4 года назад +1

      @Mar Lin Good luck!

  • @blessingsflow8648
    @blessingsflow8648 2 года назад +1

    Thanks for this and the compost link! Very organized- I love that!

  • @nobodyknows3180
    @nobodyknows3180 Год назад +7

    Pretty cool to let your kids be involved in your gardening and in your videos!

  • @juliabourque1825
    @juliabourque1825 3 года назад +7

    I sprinkle use spent coffee grind on each side of my carrots to repel rust flies. Since I've been doing this, I no longer have problems with wormy carrots.

  • @woody5109
    @woody5109 2 года назад +53

    We’ve been composting for 30 years, coffee has been a big part of that. We only use the ash to keep the compost dry, keeping it dry is the key to success. We also use chunks of gypsum, yes, old chunks of drywall, crush them up in a pail and feather them into the compost drum, cheers.

    • @nccrchurchunusual7990
      @nccrchurchunusual7990 2 года назад +6

      Can you clarify? "Keep the compost dry" I live in a very arid place, I am always concerned about keeping it moist.

    • @kimberlyjohnson8411
      @kimberlyjohnson8411 2 года назад +11

      @@nccrchurchunusual7990 I’ve never heard of keeping compost dry. I water mine when too dry and then turn it with a pitch fork.

    • @taniahummelgard2290
      @taniahummelgard2290 2 года назад +13

      @@kimberlyjohnson8411 yes! My grandma used to have a compost “garden”. She called it her “worm bed”. Threw all food leftovers in it, meat, vegees and all, would cover it with hay and sprayed it with water. She’d use a pitchfork to to turn it over and then us grandkids would grab the hundreds of worms and go fishing! Oh how I love this memory

    • @terribee4887
      @terribee4887 2 года назад +5

      I would like to know, too, what you mean by keeping compost dry. I can see not wanting it soggy but dry? I think that would slow down the breakdown and your worms would leave.

    • @JohnSmith-fq7hj
      @JohnSmith-fq7hj 2 года назад +1

      Say what now? lol maybe you live somewhere like the Pacific Northwest or something cuz iv always had to water mine from time to time to keep it from drying out but I know if it's to wet for to long the pill bugs multiply like crazy not sure how good or bad that is tho.

  • @SavageChip810
    @SavageChip810 Год назад +1

    Stumbled across this video, great content. Looking forward to seeing more

  • @miaj5118
    @miaj5118 2 года назад +1

    Thanks so much for this video. I have so much wood ash and coffee grounds processed in my home. I know how to use them now 🧡

  • @lillylover151
    @lillylover151 3 года назад +6

    That’s so cute that your son is willing to talk on the video 👏👏👏👏

  • @bobbypowell6578
    @bobbypowell6578 4 года назад +9

    10 Years ago I moved into a townhouse in Virginia. The backyard soil was hard as rock and actually filled with lots of granitite debris as a result of fill dirt when built. I removed the rocks to a large extent and found lots of clay and a higher than I wanted acid Ph. I spaded the yard (roughly 20'X20') and covered it with 4 inches of coffee grounds from Starbucks. I did this primarily because I know the few earth worms I found would thrive in it and I needed cheap organic matter to mix with the clay. Later I was told that I increased the acidity because of this, but you have explained I really did not. Since then, I have reduced the size of the planting area to just three small beds due to having such a small amount of sunlight here (tall house and trees block the sun). However, I have amended the soil each year with my own compost and it is easy to turn over now. My potatoes and asparagus love it.

  • @vickimelior1368
    @vickimelior1368 Год назад

    Luv that you include and involve your kiddo!

  • @rolfs5854
    @rolfs5854 Год назад +1

    I collect ash and coffee grounds over the year and apply them to the garden in autumn when I prepare the garden for winter. I never had a problem. However, I spread them out over a relatively large are.

  • @foxfire1763
    @foxfire1763 4 года назад +32

    Thanks for noting the science behind using the coffee grounds. I have been using coffee grounds for years. Infact, I went to a couple of coffee shops / deli and asked for them to save the pickle buckets for me and if they could just dump the daily coffee grounds in the buckets and set them out back. I would come by every other day or so and pick them up. In exchange, I would donate produce from my garden to those who need it. I did this through my neighbors and taking produce to Church.
    I ended up with applying several 5 gallon buckets to my gardens over the fall and winter. I mixed it in with some wood chips, Manure, Sea90 minerals and a few other nutrients. Then sprinkled some over the top as well. If you like the smell of coffee, every time it rains, you will have a beautiful smell of coffee in the garden.

  • @honeybadger3408
    @honeybadger3408 2 года назад +18

    Soil Amendment for me, being a Florida Resident, is a BIG Deal. Getting it just right for the designated Plant, Bush, Trees needs are truly a Science. Thank you for all the good info on it.

  • @deborahelliott8460
    @deborahelliott8460 2 года назад +16

    Coffee grounds make the worms do the wild thing at night, and you should see how much reproduction goes on. I would not use it nightly, more like once a month, but keeping it moist is a must. I got more worms this way than when I started out. I can honestly say, makes my worms love staying in their bin when I do add them.

    • @christinemcdaniel1647
      @christinemcdaniel1647 2 года назад +1

      I'm trying that this year, hoping to get more worms for fishing

  • @charlescoker7752
    @charlescoker7752 2 года назад

    I'm glad you straighten all this out. Many have been told Biochar is not Biochar until it has been soaked in different fertilizers. It is just charcoal. Thanks.

  • @lindyrae3755
    @lindyrae3755 4 года назад +6

    Love seeing your son get involved! Thanks so much for this tip - I plan to do this as well, and get my grandkids involved.

  • @teresasanchez8853
    @teresasanchez8853 4 года назад +33

    First time here, and I just loved your son... he is soooooo cute and he makes a great assistant.

  • @ChristopherWelty
    @ChristopherWelty 2 года назад +1

    New subscriber, first time gardener. Thanks for all your wisdom and walk through advice!

  • @Willowdog08
    @Willowdog08 27 дней назад

    I’ve been using both for years and years. My garden is absolutely fantastic.

  • @TimUrbany
    @TimUrbany 4 года назад +18

    I have always treated coffee grounds as a "green" in my compost. I was under the impression that the nitrogen level was higher. I definitely love what it does to the consistency of my compost / soil.

  • @barbaraheed3509
    @barbaraheed3509 3 года назад +7

    I used to throw out my coffee grounds out in the dirt of my hydrangeas and for some reason it helped with the changing of the colors of the flowers. I must say they where stunningly beautiful. So now I always do that. I did it like once maybe twice per week. Just threw them out with a bit of extra water and that's it. Worked great for me on them that's for sure. Much luck to everyone ✌

  • @elizabethshaw734
    @elizabethshaw734 2 года назад +1

    My dad used to take the ashes from the wood stove and use them in his food garden. I now own my own home and it's been almost a year. It is very much still winter here in Maine but I will be growing in large totes up on the deck so that I can participate in my gardening as I am in a wheelchair. :-)

  • @HilltownCreations
    @HilltownCreations Год назад

    We have soil a ph of around 9. This year we added allot of ash from outside boiler, allot 2 55 gallon drums of ash. We had the best garden we've ever had! I'll be careful in future on tomato half of garden. Thank you for video!