This is my question...

I have two sources for coffee grounds (and an occasional bag from Starbucks), I am adding approximately 15 gallons of grounds per week. In addition, approximately 1 gallon of kitchen scraps and whatever garden waste becomes seasonally available. I have a source for shredded paper which I add at about 10 (non compacted) gal/week. I try to keep my piles well turned and they stay pretty hot until I stop adding materials. I also have many many red wigglers living in the piles. I have never done a soil test on the finished compost.

Can you have compost that is too much based on coffee grounds?

The coffee grounds have used paper filters in them...am I putting in too little or too much paper, and without a soil test is there some way to know that I have the right balance?

You can use 3 part of coffee per 1 part wood and get great results. If you use less browns it will still be ok or even great, after composting.

Coffee is only a problem if you put it on plants without composting it. Some plants die from the high acid levels. If the coffee is free, you can't really go wrong with lots of free coffee.

Just looking at what you typed it does seem a bit heavy on the greens - 16 gallons of greens to 10 gallons of browns. Seems heavy on the greens, but if its not getting smelly and its breaking down promptly - then its probably just fine.

The other thing to look at is performance of the materials growing where you are using the compost.... if you have problems on the growing end, and want more specifics - then go ahead and have the soil tested.

There are different tests for compost versus soil. You can have just the compost tested or you can test the amended soil. It depends upon what your goals are.

I thought coffee grounds were a fairly weak green, which may be why you're not having to add a ton of paper.

Regarding acidity, someone on a compost forum did a test a couple years back and found that the vast majority of the acid in coffee ends up in the coffee cup, so there is little left in the grounds. But there is some. I could imagine that if you put a LOT of grounds around a plant that is sensitive or in already acidic soil, there could certainly be problems until the organic acids decomposed or leached away.

There is a slight odor while it is working, but I would not describe it at bad.

I make a run to the coffe shops twice a week, and today is my day...I gotta go!

If your pile is too green it will smell bad - that anaerobic smell - and you get a slimy globs of stink - that also don't seem to be breaking down.

Basically, the more greens, the hotter and faster the process. You could try a breakpoint, keep adding the greens to push the limit to see how much you can add before it goes bad. Then its easy to correct, by just adding back in more browns.

Once you get a base compost process down, its always interesting to change some of the variable and monitor the difference.

Lloyd

Short version: Starbucks coffee grounds were 2.28%N, but almost none of it soluble/available. Based on the organic matter content the C:N ratio was 24:1.

30:1 being a generally accepted balance for a compost pile, I would call this a weak to moderate green. Compared to, say, grass clippings in the 5 to 10:1 range.

Interesting, they also tilled in an enormous amount directly and liked the results!

lon, you are doing great, rock n roll!

Lloyd

UCG's are an excellent composting ingredient, no doubt about it.

Lloyd

I also apply it to certain plants that I grow mainly for foliage, like lettuce, cabbage and perennials like hostas, heucheras, ornamental grasses about this time of year, as they are starting to grow again. The trick is to not cover the crown of the plant and to apply it only about 1/4" deep. It gives them a shot of nitrogen and the coarse texture of the grounds seems to help to keep the slugs at bay. (Note: It does not keep them completely away, but it helps.)

As others have noted, it is nearly neutral in acidity. This info used to be in the FAQs and should still be there.

I also use UCGs in my compost pile. They heat it up, but it's always a slow burn and I need to add water because they are so dry. IME, lawn clippings are definitely faster acting and nothing is faster than DH's spent grains, a by-product of his home beer brewing.

This forum has lost a number of experienced composters and gardeners over the years. Between censorship and the ivillage take over - lots of people have left.

tropical thought, I have been getting grounds from SB for probably six or seven years, hundreds of pounds a year, from about five different shops in my area. I have *never* gotten wet grounds from them or any other coffee shop for that matter. All I have ever gotten are very dry espresso grounds. That's the kind of coffee they mainly sell. YMMV.

On "wet grounds"...I live in a rural setting and get most of my grounds from two independent coffee shops nearby. They seem to come from 50% filter coffee and 50% expresso. They are always dry. When I get a chance, I also get UCG from three different Starbucks. They are always very WET. I do not know why the difference.

On this forum losing followers... I began composting (and gardening) six years ago and followed this forum faithfully for several years as I was a total newbie. Then it seemed I had gleaned enough knowledge to be a fairly competent composter. Composting seems to be a fairly simple ART/Science. I was getting great results and didn't really have any questions until my recent query. I did not leave because of pop up ads or change in management. I do read the vegetable gardening forum faithfully and still think that this web site is a GEM!!!

Now that I'm back, I realize that I HAVE been missing something while away. That you all!!! and thank you Kimmsr for your stable insight on this forum!

Just an observation.

Lloyd

But, I will take either espresso or drip, I will take as much as I can get. I can't carry that much anyway. If you have acid soil, I was reading, you could end up using too much coffee, but since I have sandy soil. It would be hard for me to get too much coffee. I have to go back and get a degree in chemistry to figure this all out.

The hockey pucks are very easy to deal with. Just drop the (tightly sealed) bag on a hard surface a few times, or if they aren't in a good, strong, sealed bag, run them through a sieve. Either method only takes a few seconds.

Your post got me wondering how much UCG I have composted since I began 7 years ago. I am going to estimate (conservatively) 25 lbs/week from two local coffee shops...that is approx. 1000 lbs/year or 7000 lbs total.

WOW-OH-WOW

I was mixing in browns and other greens...turning...adding water when necessary. It's no wonder the garden is doing good and I am not (too) overweight

N loaded compost will promote foliage growth at the expense of fruit production

(FYI...coffee was invented in the PNW to combat depression caused by the ceaseless spring rain and cool weather we are experiencing right now)