Used coffee grounds and composting

With the current abundance of fall leaves, there is no shortage of carbon in the compost.  In my October 2 entry, I mention that a little bit of nitrogen in the form of green plant material can go a long way in ensuring continuous and rapid decomposition.  Used coffee grounds can also serve as a nitrogen source when mixed in with the leaves.  Because used coffee grounds are also a good carbon source, they will contribute considerably to the bulk matter of the final product.  In fact, as long as there are some shredded leaves in the pile, it is difficult to add too many used coffee grounds.  Interestingly, composting used coffee grounds is also one of the uses recommended by Starbucks (see below), which has been a great supplier of used coffee grounds throughout most of the season. The pictures shows a sticker that one of the stores in the area frequently slaps on their coffee bags after they filled them with used grounds.

Also in accordance with the instructions from Starbucks, I am still using the coffee grounds as a top dressing in my garden beds (shown below). Works great for nitrogen hungry plants, but is obviously not recommended for plants where too much nitrogen tend to limit fruiting (such as tomatoes).