Can coffee grounds be used in the garden after they start to mold?
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I pick up coffee grounds from a local Starbucks and sometimes do not disperse it immediately so some mold may be present and I just generally spread it out in the yard and it seems the mold disappears after a day or so in the sunshine (grounds dry and mold is gone).
I try to use only fresh grounds in my compost but there is occasionally a little mold in the compost also and it does not seem to harm anything.
I decided to do some research since the question was asked but could find very few remarks saying it should not be used.
The majority said - go for it! Good for environment and excellent fertilizer for the yard and garden.
Yes you can! It's great for your compost pile, and your garden, producing nitrogen. Also good for insects like ants, slugs, snails. They can not stand the grounds. If you see a nest, just sprinkle on and around the nest and they will relocate!
If you spread the moldy coffee grounds out in an area with a lot of sun the mold will go away in a day or two. This should not be an issue and will not harm the earth or even your plants. I know a lot of people who collect coffee ground to add to their compost pile and I see them dump in coffee ground that are really filled with a lot of mold.
Thank you for the idea of drying the moldy coffee grinds to remove the mold. I will try this.
Are you in the US? If so, you may be best served getting an official answer from your home extension office. Here is a finder: pickyourown.org/
They may say you need to know what kind of mold it is before they decide.
Personally, I don't use anything with mold in or around any plants that are growing food/edibles (this means I can no longer compost). I have a lot of allergies and sensitivities and am very careful about molds, going as far as not eating from plants that have mold on them.
Safety first!
That said, I would have no problem using it on flowers. Just be sure the water used for those flowers does not run off into the food garden.
Post back what the home extension office tells you!
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