Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
jockewing

Loving Starbucks right now!

jockewing
10 years ago

Yesterday I visited the nearby Starbucks for the first time to inquire about the grounds for gardeners program. I was pleasantly surprised by an enthusiastic attitude. They keep a 2-3 foot tall metal garbage can right behind the serving area that they keep large bags of the grounds in. They said you are welcome to take as much as you want anytime. So I scored about a 40 pounds bag my first time! Went back today and the garbage can was empty, but they happily gave me about a 25 pound bag from behind the counter.

I was kind of surprised because it seems like nobody ever does anything cool like this in my area. We seem to be so behind the times in everything down here.

I see myself becoming a frequent (daily - lol) visitor. At this rate, by spring I will have collected hundreds of pounds for my garden. Is there such a thing as too much coffee grounds?

Comments (9)

  • QuestioningSerenity
    10 years ago

    Ahhh! I completely forgot about that!! I used to grab their smaller bags to used for art projects. Great for making a paper look antiqued. If I wasn't such an avid coffee drinker at home I'd probably inquire about it over here.

  • jim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6
    10 years ago

    Yes there is such a thing as using to much coffee grounds in the garden...

    I'm not exactly sure how much is safe to use? Or how often to apply?
    Maybe someone else will chime in on the amount etc...

    I used it before but I only applied 1 cup around mature rose bushes... I used it mostly to increase worm activity...

  • jockewing
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I have so many places I want to build beds and existing beds I want to enrich, in addition to my current rose project, I probably could honestly never have enough. I recently had a soil test and scored an abysmal 1.7% organic matter. I honestly wouldn't mind having enough to entirely cover my cruddy lawn with a thin layer. I want to see if coffee grounds are really the worm magnets everyone says.

  • Melissa Mc (6b)
    10 years ago

    So do I just go into my Starbucks and ask them for grounds? This is a great idea.

  • mirendajean (Ireland)
    10 years ago

    My local coffee chain has given me free reign to raid thier used coffee ground bin behind the shop. I just drive up, fill my trunk and drive away.

    I get some strange looks from passers by but it doesn't bother me at all. I've several uses for the grounds in my garden and compost bins.

    I'm happy that you've found a happy attitude in you're local shop.

  • jockewing
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Yes, another bag today, the biggest yet! I haven't resorted to digging in their trash yet, but It would be nice to get several bags at once.

  • mirendajean (Ireland)
    10 years ago

    Jockewing I smiled at your post. My local coffe chain has a dedicated coffee recycling bin behind the shop. All of thier coffee grounds go into it. It's filled every day and we composters descend like locust and happily strip it bare.

    We have a service here in Donegal county that will collect organic recyclables from businesses. It would be great if they made that service mandatory across the country. Imagine the benefit to landfills if all businesses were required to separate oraganic matter. There are a lot of forestry's here also. They would benefit from the compost since we are removing all the trees. With Eco friendly replanting the soil requires replinishing. I inagine the quick growing pines strip the soil of nutrients.

    Sorry, off my little soapbox. I get excited by compost :-)

  • jockewing
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Fourth day, fourth bag! And yet still bigger. Now I am seeding an area along my back fence that I want to convert into a huge bed this spring with the grounds to attract worms. This has turned into a huge new resource for me. Between the grounds and the horse stables near my house that will fill up as much of your truck as you want for $20 bucks, I should have plenty of organic matter to go around. Don't know why, but nothing in gardening excites me more than turning dirt into that black chocolate cake. I have highly acidic, leached soil with almost no innate fertility, but it does have perfect loam texture. So with the right amendments and organic matter, I can create terrific soil.

  • eahamel
    10 years ago

    I make the rounds from time to time, and get bags of grounds from several Starbucks in my area. Some have large bags full, some might only have a couple of pounds because someone else beat me to it. I mostly compost the grounds, but do add some to my beds. There's a church group that regularly picks up grounds from a Starbucks near them, and they compost them, and sell the compost, and the $$ they make goes to a charity they support that helps children in need.