Will de-caf coffee grounds work?

Hap

That may be the problem with Rick's listless worms! ....Hey Rick! Are those decaf grounds????

I meant just to put on the ground, for I don't compost.

Hap

that might be why they're called 'grounds'.....could be instructions.

You're on a roll today JR.

Dang- !!!

Need a rolling emoticon...

We need the sound effect comedians use - like a truncated drum roll: "ba-da-BOOM".

>> if you keep putting compost in a hole during the winter

Well, if I first excavated a drainage trench deeper than the bottom of the hole, and leading further downhill, that would be very effective: an insulated enclosure for an underground compost heap. Like a warm frame. A worm condo. (Does anyone remember the "Mine Shaft Gap" in Doctor Strangeglove"?)

However, without the Garden Corps of Engineers to help dig ditches, any hole I dug below grade in fall, winter or spring would instantly become a permanent bathtub or mud wallow.

But the idea of insulating my (aboveground) compost heap is a good one - I've been thinking about that for a while. Unfortunately, concrete is a good conductor of heat, so my paving stones won't do it for me.

Rick,

Try some cheap insulating Styrofoam that you can get at Home Depot.

Hap

I actually never thought about sinking compost. Here, I keep a bin out on the cold porch in the winter but the cold porch really IS. It is an uninsulated 'bumpout' room on a concrete slab (covered with porcilain tile) and has a nice big closet that I use for a pantry. It does get cold enough that I have to be careful because some things (like soda cans) will freeze out there during below zero spells. It has been good for storing kitchen scraps but now I am thinking about an outdoor 'hole' in order to actually compost during times that the snow is not too deep. What about sinking a large container (bin with cover) with drainage holes drilled in the bottom Hap? Would that work up here do you think?

I vote YES! on that idea JR.

That would even work for Rick, I think... but it really isn't related to what PostmanDug suggested 'cause it won't break down as fast.

HELP PEOPLE.....


Will de-caf grounds still work as a fertilizer?

Sorry I'm such a bug, but.....


Hap

I don't know why they wouldn't. They are still acidic organic matter.

Yup, they're great as an organic soil "conditioner", adding good structure to your soil, badly needed if you have clay or sand for soil.

Thanks, kids. I will start today.

Hap

coffee grounds sprinkled on the flower/garden beds will also help keep the cats out also we have lots of grounds around here at least 3 pots a day

Cheryl, I'll bet with all of that work going on, that you DO!

Added note: If you use unbleached paper filters, you can carry the grounds out in in a damp one and tear those up and toss them on too. Worms love paper. I do the same with teabags, I just pull the little staple out.

>> Try some cheap insulating Styrofoam that you can get at Home Depot.

Ah-hah! Thank you ... the key word there is "cheap".


>> coffee grounds sprinkled on the flower/garden beds will also help keep the cats out also

Thank you! They keep using several beds as catboxes, leaving "gifts" that make me NOT want to handle the soil with bare hands.

And I'm afraid they'll dig up bulbs that will then attract squirrels.

Just be aware that field mice and the like *love* Styrofoam. We can't even use it for insulation around here. I have an old chest freezer to keep my horse feed in and the dang mice have just made a complete mess out of the insulating Styrofoam (or whatever it is).

Hmm, they have not yet burrowed into the styrofoam chest I was keeping some dug-up bulbs in. Squirrels or cvats dug them up, so i set them aside for a good re-planting time. Thanks for reminding me to plant them!