Today is National Coffee Day and we thought we'd share some of the benefits of coffee for the garden!

• Mix into the compost bin. The filters will break down fast so toss them in as well. Coffee grounds have a carbon to nitrogen
  ratio of 20:1 and should be treated as green material. Keep the coffee grounds to no more that 25% of the pile to keep the
  carbon to nitrogen ratio in balance. Do not worry about making the compost to acid because the microbes that do the
  composting will neutralize the pH.
• Use in a worm-composting beds. Worms love the grounds and all that caffeine will make them work faster. (Not scientifically
  proven, but why not try it!)
• Till grounds directly into top 6-8 inches of soil when preparing new planting beds to add organic matter to the soil. This will
  improve the soil texture while acting as a slow release fertilizer.
• Throw grounds on the surface of the garden to discourage slug. The caffeine is toxic to them. The concentration may not be strong enough to kill them, but it will sure slow them down.
• Use coffee grounds anywhere you have ant problems. Ants hate coffee and will avoid any area treated with it.
• Even though the brewing process removes most of the acidity, spread grounds around the roots of acid loving plants like
  azaleas, blueberries and hydrangeas for a little boost.
• Dilute coffee grounds with water at a rate of ½ lb coffee to 5 gallons of water to make a fast acting fertilizer.
• Use grounds to mulch planting beds.
• Coffee will discourage mites if spread around the base of a plant.

So don't forget to share a little bit of that delicious pick-me-up with your garden!

 - Preval Spray Team