Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Thursday - February 05, 2009

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives, Compost and Mulch, Soils
Title: Coffee grounds as mulch into vegetable beds
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Can you put too much coffee grounds as mulch into vegetable beds?

ANSWER:

Good grief! How much coffee do you drink? Seriously, we have used coffee grounds as a top dressing for rose bushes and added them to compost. We have no experience with using them on vegetables and just about all vegetables are heavily hybridized and/or non-native to North America, so out of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center area of expertise. We found this article from simplegiftsfarm.com on Coffee Grounds and Gardening. The fact is, coffee grounds are slightly acidic, and in our alkaline Austin soil, that is always a plus.