Using Coffee for Tomatoes (Which Plants to Use Coffee Grounds For)

How To Use Coffee Grounds For Gardening And Planting Tomatoes: Here’s What To Know! 

Waste not want not! What's better than finding a great use for something you’d usually toss out, like used coffee grounds? Here, we will discuss how to correctly use coffee grounds to improve your gardening game and help those tomatoes thrive! 

Can you use coffee grounds for tomatoes?  

Used coffee grounds contain many nutrients that tomato plants love including potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus! As such, coffee grounds can be a welcome addition to acidic plants like tomatoes. The trick is to add composted coffee grounds to healthy soil before planting your tomatoes. You can also use fresh coffee grounds in moderation for sprouted tomato plants to help with nitrogen and pests. Just sprinkle them on lightly about once a month for optimal results. 

You can use coffee grounds in the garden in all sorts of ways!

• Use Coffee Grounds As Fertilizer

To use coffee grounds as fertilizer, simply dilute the grounds in water. About 2 cups of coffee steeped in 5 gallons of water overnight can make a phenomenal foliar spray.
Since coffee grounds contain nitrogen, they can help acid-loving plants grow healthier stems and green leaves. 

• Coffee Grounds Compost

You can add coffee grounds to your worm bins or compost bins. here, they will break down quickly and improve the soil. coffee grounds are great for speeding up the composting process as well since they have plenty of magnesium, potassium, and nitrogen.

• Coffee Grounds as Mulch

To use coffee grounds to make mulch, simply mix them with other materials that you would use when mulching. Just don't use too many, as they can slow down the mulching process if they build up in a pile. 

• Coffee Grounds Sprinkled On Soil

You can also add coffee grounds directly to the soil around plants. Sprinkling used coffee grounds can improve plant nutrient intake and drainage. When the coffee grounds are fresh, they can also repel pests due to their caffeine content. Just be sure to use fresh coffee grounds in moderation, generally no more than a light sprinkling up to twice a month. 

What Plants to Use Coffee Grounds For? 

Coffee grounds are great for root crops, blue flowers, and other plants that love acid like azaleas, lilies, and blueberries. Here are some plants that like coffee grounds:

• Tomatoes 
• Rhododendrons 
• Azaleas 
• Carrots 
• Blueberries 
• Raspberries 
• Blackberries 
• Radishes 
• Christmas Cactus 
• Jade Plant 
• Philodendron 
• Roses 
• Azaleas 
• Snake Plants 
• Golden Pothos 
• Citrus Trees
• Cyclamen 
• Hydrangea 
• Peace Lillies 
• Easter Lillies
• Lilly of the Valley 
• Many Shrubs 
• Hollies
• Most blue colored flowers 
• Most root crops 

Coffee Grounds for Tomatoes and Other Plants: FAQs

Now that you know you can use coffee grounds for your tomatoes, let's go over some frequently asked questions about how to garden correctly with used coffee grounds. 

Why are coffee grounds good for tomatoes?

There are a few reasons that coffee grounds can be helpful for gardening. Coffee grounds have about 2% nitrogen and various amounts of potassium and phosphorus. All of these nutrients can be beneficial for tomato plants and other acidic plants, in moderation. Coffee grounds can also act as a natural pesticide due to their caffeine content. 

What to know before using coffee grounds for plants?

It is important to understand the pH levels in your soil before using coffee grounds. Coffee grounds take a while to break down and can feed nitrogen to plants for quite a long time as they decompose. Since coffee grounds are slightly acidic, similarly acidic plants like berries and tomatoes benefit the most. 

What about decaf coffee grounds for gardening? 

Decaf coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen and free of caffeine, which makes them especially ideal for acid-loving plants. The caffeine and coffee grounds can be great for preventing certain Garden pests but may pose an issue to some plants. As such, for indoor plants or gardens without pest issues, decaf coffee grounds are great! 

Which pests do coffee grounds deter? 

Coffee grounds are great for repelling insects including fruit flies, beetles, and mosquitoes. In fact, coffee grounds can be burned like incense to keep mosquitoes away in the summer. Not that you'd want this in your garden, but it's helpful knowledge if you are having a cookout! 

What is the best way to use coffee grounds for plants? 

One of the best ways to use coffee grounds when gardening is by adding them to a healthy compost for your soil. You will then use this compost to enhance your garden bed soil before planting. 

How to compost coffee grounds? 

Coffee grounds can be composted by mixing them with other organic matter including dead leaves, grass clippings, eggshells, etc. Avoid adding too many coffee grounds at once, as they can begin to build up and compact under debris, which may slow down the composting process. About one used coffee filter worth of grounds per square foot of compost is sufficient. 

What pH for coffee grounds in the garden?

Coffee grounds are beneficial for acidic plants or plants that like neutral soil. Coffee grounds are slightly acidic, with a pH ranging from 4.8 to 6.9. Usually, fresh (unbrewed) coffee grounds are more acidic.  

Final Thoughts On Using  Coffee Grounds Tomatoes 

All in all, adding composted coffee grounds to your garden bed is a great way to create healthy soil for your tomatoes! Coffee grounds can be used in many different ways including as mulch, as fertilizer, or just as part of your composting pile. You can also sprinkle them on to help prevent some garden pests! 

To really make the most out of your coffee grounds, why not first enjoy delicious coffee brewed fresh? For top-rated natural organic coffee grounds that taste great and can benefit your garden, just check out Onegreatcoffee.com or follow this link.