[CH] Coffee grounds

Andie Paysinger (asenji@earthlink.net)
Sat, 26 Jun 1999 06:40:55 -0700

My soil is truly alkaline....   Have no problem with fleas here because
there is so much borax in the soil.
This is an ancient sea bed.  After heavy rains where water pools on top
of the ground for a short time then drains away, after the sun has baked
the ground one can see a white crust on top of the ground which is
alkali.
This soon turns to powder and blows away.   I add sulphur to the soil
and  a lot of compost  and find the addition of coffee ground to the
compost is of great benefit.   My compost "cooks" down  from raw
material to the idea consistency in about 3 months.   The worms in my
worm composters  proliferate at an amazing rate so they also must like
the addition of coffee grounds to their mix.   When I pot up my plants,
I place a handful of worms in each very large pot (18 to 24 inch)  and I
also make additional holes near the bottoms of these pots all around the
pot  and sink them partway into the ground.  This protects the roots
from being cooked when temps are well above 100.   I use shredded
newspaper as mulch  (a heavy duty shredder is worth its weight in gold)
with coffee grounds.  I find this also keep the neighborhood cats away
from the pots.

--
Andie Paysinger & the PENDRAGON Basenjis,Teafer,Cheesy,Singer & Player
asenji@earthlink.net    So. Calif. USA   "In the face of adversity, be
patient, in the face of a basenji, be prudent, be canny, be on your
guard!"
http://home.earthlink.net/~asenji/