Blogs for May, 2014

I only make the coffee so I have the grounds to grow a greener garden! I’m NOT addicted.

“It is inhumane, in my opinion, to force people who have a genuine medical need for coffee to wait in line behind people who apparently view it as some kind of recreational activity.” ~ Dave Barry

I admit, I was once that person whose first move in the morning was reaching blindly (there was no energy for the putting in of contacts or donning of glasses) for the coffee pot, beans ground the night before, water at the ready, to brew with the push of a button.  On a dare in my early 20s, I weaned myself off caffeinated coffee, clearly dependent on it for college life.  I swore I could do it, and I can’t turn down a dare.  I could handle my 21 unit, basketball playing, part-time nanny life without my multiple cups of joe! And I did. I may have been a bit slower on the court that season, but, as my friend noted, my eyebrows appeared “more relaxed.”

“I’d rather take coffee than compliments just now.”

~ Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

I’ve weaned myself to one morning cup, one of which I’m rather picky about.  Raised in the northwest, a coffee snob is just another term for a denizen of Portland.

Is coffee such a bad addiction, in the long run? One study says yes, while the next study says no. Meanwhile, the world keeps making mud, from drip machines to Turkish stovetop pots to French presses to baristas in white lab coats concocting the perfect cup.

While you sip your morning latte, consider that there’s little debate over how good the grounds are for your garden.  Brew it, savor it, and scatter it.  Sunset magazine reported back on the benefits of adding grounds to your — ground, after sending to a soil lab the coffee grounds Starbucks gives away for free.  “Turns out the grounds provide generous amounts of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and copper. They also release nitrogen into the soil as they degrade. And they’re slightly acidic, a boon in the Western climate. Dig or till them into the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches.”

Serious Eats gives us the rundown on why these nutrients are part of any great garden fertilizer:  “Nitrogen allows plants to convert sunlight into energy; phosphorus helps that energy get transmitted throughout the plant through its root system and cells; potassium helps the plant retain moisture, which aids photosynthesis.”

To start your coffee habit, store your grounds in an airtight container, and add them directly to your soil, then cover with mulch, or add to your compost pile, making sure it’s at a ratio of one fourth of your other compost items. Bonus: coffee ground compost keeps the rodents away, apparently having never “acquired the taste” for the delicious drink.

Beyond growing a more productive garden, Organic Authority notes eight other ways to use coffee grounds around your house, including using them to clean caked on pots and pans, or in lieu of baking soda for odors in your fridge or freezer. For the more ambitious among us, there’s a recipe to make coffee soap.  I love coffee scented – everything, but I know my limits.  Who’s going to get crafty and take on the task of trying out the soap recipe and reporting back? And check out The City Farm’s Coffee Mug and Spoon Set to add some color to your morning java!

“Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee and just as hard to sleep after.”

~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea

Share your coffee and composting stories with us here in the comments, or at Twitter: @TheCityFarm

(Photo Credit: Morning Cup of Coffee – SandboxGeneral; Coffee Beans – Parade; Coffee Grounds – Growing Power)

Have you ever found yourself in the wild (or as wild as you can find, if you’re a city dweller), and felt suddenly overwhelmed by being one with the world?  Those moments always come to me when I’m outside. I remember sitting outside on the front stoop of our house in Tennessee, the fireflies coming out, one by one, timed with the sun dropping down below the horizon.  A warm summer night, the air buzzed with heat, electricity, and the flickering lights of bugs in the fields. It’s a bit of a spiritual experience, feeling something beyond one’s self, connected.

“The Divine Presence was strongest outdoors, and most palpable when I was alone. When I think of my first cathedral, I am back in a field behind my parents’ house in Kansas, with every stalk of prairie grass lit up from within. I can hear the entire community of crows, grasshoppers, and tree frogs who belong to this field with me. … My skin is happy on the black dirt, which speaks a language my bones understand.” ~ Barbara Brown Taylor

Growing plants that trigger those feelings can help us remember how our bodies are connected to this earth, how we survive when the planet thrives. The birth flower for May, lily of the valley, is delicate and beautiful, with red-orange berries. A sweet smelling flower, it’s a perfect reminder of spring. But don’t let the graceful blooms fool you, it’s a plant with poison.  According to MentalFloss, the plant’s toxicity is its defense against animals eating its seeds. All parts of the plant—the stems, the leaves, the flowers and the berries—are extremely poisonous.

Happy birthday to you, May Babies! Taurus folk born by May 20th are known for their earthy, realistic ways of living. Later May kids born under the Gemini sign are typically intellectually inclined, forever seeking information. Does that describe you? Have you planted your birth month flower?  Careful where you choose to put down your roots: lily of the valley are notorious for taking more than their share of space, so it’s best to plant them up against a wall or driveway, and curtail their wonton growth.

Planting outdoors, find a spot that has light to moderate shade, and soil that drains well. The bulbous roots are called “pips,” and it’s best to cut an inch off them before planting. Perennials, your lily may not flower the first year.  Or, to grow indoors, try these tips from Erin Boyle on Gardenista.  I love how Erin concealed the plastic pot in a wooden box, and filled in the gaps with moss. An elegant way to bring the connection to earth into your home.

(Photo Credit: ©Wayne Claflin)