I wanted to let folks know a locally-produced TV pilot called Grassroots Guide to Backyard Living is airing for the first time on KVIE’s ViewFinder on February 1st at 7pm and the following Sunday, February 5th, at 6pm. Yours truly talked a little gardening in it, but the show covers all aspects of backyard living, including cooking in a portable backyard firepit. Check it out!
Angela’s Stock Photography
I enjoyed the whole show, but liked your segment best, plus the funny out takes at the end.
This question is not related to anything mentioned on the show, though. I heard or read that throwing coffee grounds in the garden is good for the plants and especially if the soil is clayey. Do you recommend that?
Thanks for all the help and humor you provide.
Sacratomato Senior
I’m glad you liked the show! I liked the out takes too because they captured some spontaneous moments when we thought the camera was off. 😉
I vote YES on using coffee grounds in the garden! Clayey soils can always use more organic matter and coffee grounds have the added benefit of providing a source of nitrogen and other nutrients. They also discourage slugs and snails! If you garden organically, it might be best to buy organic beans(Costco sells a nice bulk organic coffee). Either way, we coffee drinkers can feel good about recycling the remains of our daily habit.
Coffee grounds are a little acidic, but our soils tend toward alkalinity, so I wouldn’t worry too much. See how your plants respond and adjust accordingly.
Ways to use: top-dress flower beds, side-dress veggies (esp. tomatoes), add to your compost bin or feed it to your compost worms.
I had neighbors years ago who would bury little piles of crushed egg shells and coffee grounds here and there in their flower beds and they had a beautiful garden!
In case you weren’t aware, Starbucks gives away free grounds. More info on their program and how to use grounds in the garden here (copy and paste link into your browser): http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/compost.asp?cookie%5Ftest=1