How to Use Coffee in Planting Seeds

Overview

Recycling coffee grounds by incorporating them into a seedling garden represents an easy and cost-effective means of providing proper nutrients to spur healthy seed growth. With a carbon/nitrogen ratio equivalent to that of some commercial fertilizers, coffee grounds represent a viable alternative as a starting medium for certain vegetable and flower seeds.

Step 1

Plant seeds according to package directions. Most seeds for vegetables or flowers are planted in a shallow furrow or hole with a light covering of soil.

Step 2

Collect coffee grounds from your own home brewing, or from a nearby coffeehouse.

Step 3

Add about 1/2 lb. of coffee grounds to the 5 gallons of water.

Step 4

Swirl to mix, or use a stick to stir.

Step 5

Transfer some of the mixture into a sprinkling can. Sprinkling is a more gentle method of introducing the nutrients into the delicate soil covering the seeds. Add only enough of the mixture to thoroughly dampen the soil

Step 6

Stir or swirl the mixture frequently while watering to make certain the coffee grounds stay in suspension and that the correct amount of grounds get dispersed into the seed bed.

Step 7

Repeat Steps 4 and 5 until all seeds are watered.