Fertilizing soil with coffee grounds and kitchen waste:
Coffee grounds contain a good amount of the essential nutrient nitrogen as well as some potassium and phosphorus, plus other micronutrients. The quantity and proportions of these nutrients vary, but coffee grounds can be used as a slow-release fertilizer.
To use it as a fertilizer sprinkle the used grounds thinly onto your soil, or add them to your compost heap. Paper coffee filters can go in too. Despite their color, for the purposes of composting, they are a ‘green’, or nitrogen-rich organic material. Make sure to balance them with enough ‘browns’ – carbon-rich materials such as dry leaves, dried grass, or small shredded paper pieces.
Coffee grounds are particularly suitable for fertilizing plants that require acidic garden soil, such as hydrangeas and rhododendrons or cucumbers, zucchini, and strawberries. Always allow the coffee grounds to cool and dry well - if they are moist, they will mold easily.
Food scraps are also a good source of fertilizer too. Fish waste, for example, is a good tomato fertilizer. Bury the fish remains about eight inches below before you plant the young tomatoes. By the time the roots get there, the fish has rotted. Other kitchen waste such as vegetable and fruit scraps, eggshells, tea leaves, crumbled newspapers, and shredded office paper, but also garden waste such as dried lawn cuttings, small pieces of shrub, and tree cuttings can go on the compost.
There, they decompose into nutrient-rich, humus-rich soil - perfect for fertilizing or as a soil conditioner. However, maintaining the compost should be turned over or moved approximately every two to three months.
Much easier is it to dig a 20-inch hole in the garden bed, fill it with the above-mentioned items in layers with a bit of soil and top it with soil. Poke some holes into this and cover it with a flat rock or mesh to deter critters to dig in. Usually, in summer you will have the most beautiful, healthy garden soil within three weeks.
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