Coffee Grounds In Compost

I've been composting coffee grounds for a long time.

It takes me about 3 weeks to accumulate this much:

I'm sure there will be research indicating it's not the best thing to add to our gardens. Yet, I have not experienced anything other than rewards using it.

I use a Bodum/French Press and enjoy not impacting the heaps of waste when it comes to the recent use of coffee toss away pods. In my dual batch rolling composter, I get great compost after 6 weeks in the summer. Having a sniff of the finished compost, there's no trace of the coffee aroma left. My plants seem not to mind at all!

What I can't understand is why I've only seen one program which uses coffee grounds from big coffee shop chains.

I happened upon Grounds To Gardens at Cloverdale Mall this past April. Stopping to see bags of compost mixed with coffee grounds available for sale. My first reaction: "It's about time!"  Oddly enough, I can't seem to find it available since.

Can't see why?  Know of any?

Easy To Brew Compost Tea

One of the benefits to having this dual batch, rolling compost off the ground, is the ability to catch rain water that has flowed through the compost bin.

Here I have great compost tea, ready to use with no water coming from the garden hose.

Don't leave the vat with compost tea too long, especially during mosquito season. I transfer the tea into watering cans and cover the openings.

Having left my plastic bin/basin beneath the dual batch, rolling composter, it collected the water beneath. During a storm, I left the doors open and let the rain water simply seeped through the contents.

 Dark brewed look.

My evergreens and containers love it!

A vat filled with garden refuse will also give you compost tea results. But be aware that it gets quite smelly if left too long.

A great liquid feed for spring containers, or parched areas of the garden that didn't get adequate rain.

I also will use this tea to moisten the compost when it begins to dry out.

Great byproduct.

Another batch of Compost ready: 6 weeks

Left side, ready. Haven't added scraps in last 3 weeks.

I am brimming with satisfaction over my Dual Batch Rolling Composter. It's been another six weeks, and I can report another completed batch of compost is ready.  This heat wave has certainly accelerated decomposition.

Great stuff. I wish you could smell it. So fresh.

Some helpful hints I've learned along the way since my previous 2 composter posts:

• If you add lots of kitchen scraps, avoid adding too many (sugary) fruity bits. I added soft cherries and grapes, only to find I had a large quantity of ants invade one chamber.
• Adding kitchen scraps daily adds adequate moisture. No added water is necessary, unless you add a lot of dry brown debris.
• I found spinning the rolling bin should be done only once a week, if not less. Rolling it thoroughly, rather than one rotation or so is better than just once over.
• Cutting up thicker, leafier material aids the process.
• Do not fill the chambers to full. Fill about 2/3rds. This allows for air circulation and better tumbling of contents.
•  Filling the chamber nearly full with green waste will not give you a full chamber when done.
•  Keep the vents open.

Right side - scrap side

Since the ready chamber is not yet full, I will add compost from the kitchen scrap side to the other ready side, in order to bulk up for a full batch in September. I plan to top-dress my garden with the left chamber's contents, leaving the right chamber to carry me through the autumn months.

Right chamber: not ready...but getting there!

So pleased.

Starting Compost...update

In March, I posted how I started compost with this Dual Batch Rolling Composter. It claimed on the directions that within 5-6 weeks, a batch would be ready. It's been a little over 6 weeks now and here are my results:

Given we had a rather warm March, it started out well. The cooler temperatures this April I think have hampered the progress. Yet, overall - I think in a another 2 weeks or so, I'll have workable compost.


The warmth that comes out of here is incredible. I stick my nose in the chamber hole just to smell any off or rotten fumes. I haven't yet smelled any of that, so I know the microbes are breaking it down!

This batch is a mix of kitchen scraps and pruning bits. Hopefully by June I'll have another batch.

Heidi = totally happy!

Starting Compost

I purchased this Dual Batch Tumbling Composter because of its rotational drum and two chambers. My only complaint: it took a bit of time to put together, as there's so many fiddly nuts and bolts and about 20 parts to fit together. Solid build though. Rotates smoothly and lots of air pockets for good aeration and water drainage. I'm happy with it.

The neat design to this composter is it's two chambers. That way, I have two batches to work with and hopefully can harvest my first batch in what the instructions say: 5-6 weeks. I can add less coarse bits to one side to start this spring and add regular compost to the other side. While one side newly composts the other side I can begin to use. That's the theory anyway...  It also has a great lid that is animal proof (hopefully) and it's off the ground. So critters if trying to get on it, will fall off because it rotates easily.

One of my hanging baskets

To start I added some soil from my winter containers. It's spent soil from last years annuals, and to initiate decomposition you need some soil. I also added just a skimming of soil from my garden (it has the microbes to help break down the refuse).

It's best to add materials in layers:

• a brown layer (leaves, soil)

• a wet (kitchen) layer 

• and a green layer in stages.

My brown layer was made up of leaves, some leftover fall annuals (cut up), some perennial die-back and clippings from my rose bush.

The wet layer was made up of coffee grounds, potato peelings...etc. (Never compost dairy, meat, bones and wood ashes).

My green layer was the clippings I cut last week for homemade mulch. 

I've yet to fill the entire left chamber. I added water to get all the soil and material inside slightly moist (not soggy).


I will fill it all up once my other containers have thawed out. They were still frozen. lol 

Now that temperatures are getting warmer and there's plenty of bright spring sunshine, warmth and moisture will begin the process.  Will keep you posted as to how long it will take to get workable compost!