Byline: CAROL BRADFORD CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Dear Carol: Are used coffee grounds beneficial to garden soil? How much should I add to my vegetable garden? I was hoping to obtain them from local restaurants, but I am concerned that I could overuse them and ruin or damage the soil. - V.C., Syracuse
Dear V.C.: Coffee grounds can be useful soil amendments. They have some value as fertilizer with an N-P-K (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) ratio of 2-0.3-0.2. The organic matter in coffee grounds improves the soil structure.
Coffee grounds are acidic, which is good if your soil is alkaline, as soils tend to be around Syracuse. If your soil is very acidic, you would be ...