Clever Ways to Use Coffee Grounds
Photography Sarah Tuck.
Coffee isn’t just the perfect morning pick-me-up, it’s a handy helper in the garden and around the house too. Below, find a few quick tips to make the most of your used grounds.
In the Garden
- Compost booster: Coffee grounds speed up decomposition! Balance them out with leaves or newspaper.
- Soil enhancer: Sprinkle a thin layer around acid-loving plants like hydrangeas, azaleas, and blueberries.
- Mulch magic: Mix grounds with wood chips or sawdust to lock in moisture and keep weeds away.
- Pest repellent: Scatter grounds around the garden to help keep stray cats, slugs, and other unwanted nibblers away.
- Worm food: Worms love coffee! Add grounds to your worm farm.
Around the House
- Odour buster: Pop a bowl of dry grounds in the fridge, freezer, or bin to soak up smells.
- Kitchen cleaning: Combine grounds with dish soap for a natural scrub that works wonders on greasy pans.
- Fireplace helper: Sprinkle damp grounds over ashes before sweeping to reduce dust.
And when you’ve finished sprinkling grounds in the garden, don’t forget the sweet stuff — explore our International Coffee Day collection here.
latest issue:
126
We start by sharing what’s on the dish team’s radar, what we’re watching, listening to and reading. Harry Butterfield puts a twist on his Nonna’s agnolotti, Malissa Fedele reminds us of the importance of fibre, and Phoebe Holden fulfils a long-held dream, sitting down with Yotam Ottolenghi. Autumn is an abundant time, we make the most with pumpkin, kūmara, cabbage, cauliflower, feijoas, apples and pears. We’re dishing up dinners for two, including a Chicken Dumpling Lasagne, alongside easy weeknight meals. We honour our mums, revisit timeless classics, and add a little baking challenge. This issue, we encourage you to slow down, to enjoy writing your shopping list, and spending time in the kitchen. Because even when life feels relentless, there’s always space to share something delicious.