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Q&A – Does caffeine from coffee grounds affect my compost pile?

Question:
I put a lot of coffee and tea grounds in my small compost pile. Does the caffeine from coffee grounds have any (beneficial, neutral, or detrimental) effects on plants or compost organisms? (my compost pile is also my fishing worm bed). Also, do my veggis accumulate caffeine in them?

Answer:
Garden expert Tonya Ashworth says that plants take up nutrients from the soil at the elemental level. They will not take up the caffeine. Coffee grounds are a great source of nitrogen for a compost pile. They do not have a detrimental effect on the microorganisms in the compost pile.

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Related Resources:
Coffee Grounds-Will They Perk Up Plants?
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Making and Using Compost
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  • Home
  • Watch
    • TV Schedule
    • Full Episodes Online
    • How-to and Informational
    • Questions and Answers
    • This Week in the Garden
    • Garden Notes
  • Garden Topic Collections
    • Apple Trees: How-to and Information
    • Peach Trees: How-to and Information
    • Tomatoes: How-to and Information
    • Square Foot Garden Blog
  • Resources
    • Soil Testing
    • Extension Publications
    • Gardening Resources
    • Blogs
    • Organic Gardening
    • Articles
    • Privacy
  • Guests
  • Contact Us
    • Ask a Gardening Gardening Question
  • Search