Coffee pot helps germinate seeds!

Hi, I'm new here, and LOVING DG!!!!!!!!!!

I planted some seeds in the usual Jiffy pellet trays, and noticed they weren't sprouting because the house is not warm enough, plus the coutertop surface is really cold. Top of the fridge isn't even hot enough, so I set the seed trays next to my coffee pot in the kitchen.

After coffee's done brewing, I just fill the pot with water halfway and turn leave the pot on, (it automatically shuts off in 5 hours). On each side of my coffee pot are seed trays and they all look nice and warm and "dewey" from the nearby heat! :o)

Just wanted to share that with y'all! If I don't burn the house down, I ought to have some great seedlings in a few weeks! :o)

Not that it is politically correct but starbucks coffee offers free expresso grounds.

http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/compost.asp?cookie%5Ftest=1

I have have used starbucks as a way to get free compost.
I walk in and they will give me 20 to 30 lbs of coffee grounds at a time.
That works pretty well as mulch. Does anyone else use this?

Applying coffee grounds directly in the garden Coffee grounds can be applied along with other materials as a side dressing for vegetables, roses, and other plants. Coffee grounds are high in nitrogen, but are also acidic. Adding brown material such as leaves and dried grass to the mulch will help keep a balanced soil pH.

Should be great for my blueberries then!

Just another great reason to go to Starbucks!!!!!!!! Thanks for the tip, I'll ask for those grounds and no doubt get a very funny look from them.

I have taken Starbucks up on the from time to time and they never look at me funny- well not any funnier than usual. Generally they are really happy to give you the grounds.

I requested grounds yesterday at a Target Starbucks and they told me they couldn't do it because they were actually part of Target and not Starbucks and the Target management wouldn't let them do it. Just an FYI.

How do they give you the grounds? Isn't it messy taking it home?????????

I love coffee grounds from starbucks and the person at the target probably just didn't want to tell you that they jsut throw them out... My closest store does that too and they lie to me all day long every time I go in there and tell me that someome else came in earlier in the day to take them.. ya right!! Anyway, for the addicts among us, you can do as I do and go on the "Tour de Starbucks"... Go to the web site and type in zip code to the store locator and you will pull up all the stores in your local area.. Print the list and keep in car. On your way to or from somewhere and when you have some time, call ahead to the store and ask if they have any grounds. They may be able to bag some for you or they will let you know if the grounds bin, as they have here, has any bags in it. Make sure you protect your upholstery in your car as they have leaked on me!! UGH!!

I topdress lots of things with the grounds and the worms LOVE them! However, I got a little carried away last year and top dressed some tomatoes! MISTAKE! My watermelons loved it though. you must make sure that the veggie likes the acididy it will give them. pretty much all evergreens are just fine with it and I had Hollies that started putting on fruit for the first time since I'd been here after top dressing with grounds.

Susan

Susan, great tips!!!!!!!! I'm going to do the "Tour de Starbucks" ;o) Thanks for the idea!

The best heat source I've found for germinating seeds was to place them on the hot tub cover at a friend's house. The warm water under the foam cover make it very cozy for the seed trays. My husband has been longing for a hot tub for years, and my only real interest in one is seed germination. The poor guy would have to move 12 flats before he could use it!

LOL! Just don't tell him that, he might change his mind! Good idea though. If we ever get a hot tub, I'll have to remember that!

I've got a couple more uses for those coffee grounds. Since my rhododendrons (hereafter referred to as "rhodies") were looking rather sad, I started reading and found out they like acidic soil. They get a sprinkle every month or so.

But BEST OF ALL, several handsful scattered throughout my flower beds keep the neighborhood cats out of their favorite litter box - my mulch! When I see that taletell disturbance in the mulch with a couple nasty flies buzzing around, out comes the used grounds container (Folgers plastic one with a lid) and outside I go.

Good tip about the cats. I just saw one this morning. Pretty courageous one too, I have 3 ferocious dogs. LOL! (below).

To keep ANYTHING out of ANYWHERE, I loooooove my motion activated sprinkler, it's called a scarecrow and it senses when something is in front of it, makes a noise and shoots out water to scare the critter(s). GREAT PRODUCT!!!!!!

It's probably pretty exciting for the postman and traveling salesmen too!

Ladyborg,
Please tell me where you got that sprinkler. I need several to keep my blasted granddogs out of the flower beds. That would be great, because they both hate water! DH and I have talked about saying no dogs allowed because they do SOOOO much damage, but this could be our answer because I really don't want to fence in all the flower beds.
Sharon

I paid WAY too much at a nearby nursery then, researched the net and the cheapest I found was on www.yardiac.com. It's a godsend! Just be careful when you step in front of it, somehow it always seems to get my dear hubby right in the ear........LOL!

Youse guys (that's Pittsburghese) just gave me the best laugh! I'm tempted to buy one and just sit back with a camera. But for me to get that thing all hooked up to water etc. sounds like a chore. I rely on a book about gardening that gives a lot of suggestions about using things you already have around the house (recycling!) to deal a lot of the outdoor problems. Put out by Rodale Press. www.rodalestore.com