Gardener Amy (@inthecottagegarden) had a quick and easy tip for improving soil quality that she was eager to share with her TikTok followers.

The scoop

"Here's a couple of the super easy ways I use coffee grounds in the garden," Amy said in her video caption. "They're a waste product and packed full of nitrogen. You can easily pick them up for free too, which makes coffee grounds a great addition if you're gardening on a budget!"

@inthecottagegarden Here's a couple of the super easy ways I use coffee grounds in the garden. They're a waste product and packed full of nitrogen, you can easily pick them up for free too which makes coffee grounds a great addition if you're gardening on a budget! #growyourownfood #gardening #gardeningtips ♬ In The Forest (Acoustic Indie No Copyright) - Instrumental - Lesfm & Olexy

Amy proceeded to show how she applies coffee grounds around the plants in her garden. She said the nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus the grounds provide help growth and deter pests. Coffee grounds can also be added to compost to attract helpful worms. 

Best of all, you don't have to be a big coffee drinker to benefit. Coffee shops often give their used grounds away for free, Amy said. In fact, Starbucks even has a program dedicated to offloading its grounds. 

It turns out coffee grounds are quite versatile. They've also been used as a packaging material, odor-eater, and exfoliating scrub. 

How it's helping

Six million tonnes of coffee grounds go to landfills every year. By doing more with your leftovers, you can avoid that waste and the ecological damage that goes with it. 

Food waste generates methane when it's sent to landfills. That methane traps heat in the atmosphere, which contributes to increasingly destructive weather patterns. The heat also warms the upper levels of oceans and melts polar ice caps, which raises sea levels. Little lifestyle hacks such as reusing coffee grounds can help tamp down those negative outcomes. 

What everyone's saying

Users were keen to put their used coffee grounds to work in their gardens. 

"I like to feed my worms coffee grounds. They've become addicts," one said. 

"A light sprinkling is all you need!" another wrote. 

What single change would make the biggest dent in your personal food waste? Not buying food I don't need 🧐 Freezing my food before it goes bad 🧊 Using my leftovers more effectively 🍲 Composting my food scraps 🌱 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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