Coffee grounds for plants???

[rgc]

Hi
My daughter was in Starbucks and saw that they were giving away coffee grounds as compost for free so she got some for me. Found this old (2008) thread about it and was wondering if anyone had more recent experience or advice. My soil is already acidic, but was thinking of putting some around my Hostas in the front garden as the slugs cut them down to the ground. (Hostas in the back garden have little damage.)

Do any of you use coffee grounds in your garden?
Thanks
Bob

[Diane Whitehead]

Coffee grounds are an effective substrate for growing some mushrooms, and they're a lot easier for city dwellers to get than horse manure.

This book describes the procedure:

Organic mushroom farming and mycoremediation : simple to advanced and experimental techniques for indoor and outdoor cultivation by  Tradd Cotter

[It's a book for the adventuresome - he also grows oyster mushrooms  in used pizza boxes, and devotes one chapter to the very difficult growing of morels]

[Maggi Young]

Mercy, Diane! Just as I was chewing over the info that one can grow mushrooms in  coffee grounds - you hit me with the notion of growing in used pizza boxes - what next ?  Odd fact of the year so far  !!

[Carlo]

I remember reading somewhere that the there is very little acidity left in the grounds once made. I scatter them for the organic content--but don't count on lowered pH.

[art600]

Diane got to the mushroom connection before I could post.

I am sure I saw a programme where a visit was made to a mushroom growing facility (in Bristol I think) where the only growing medium was coffee grounds.  It produced a significant volume of different mushrooms.

As I cannot stand Starbucks coffee - or their tax ethics - I will not be able to get any free waste.