• Coffee grounds are good for the garden and even the filter can go into a compost.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Coffee grounds are high in nutrients and readily turn organic matter into compost. They are an appropriate substitute for manure, which can add unwanted pathogens to the compost. Composted coffee grounds are nitrogen rich and can help plants that grow well in acidic soil such as tomatoes and azaleas.
  
  

Enhancing Compost

• Coffee grounds are usually considered acidic, however, they are not as acidic as people think. Coffee grounds can bring compost to a neutral level when they are added to compost. Coffee grounds subdue fungal problems like Fusarium, Pythium and Sclerotinia sometimes found in compost. Coffee grounds may be able to increase the temperature of a compost pile, which helps kill weeds and dangerous substances. Horticulturists at the University of Oregon made compost using about 25 percent coffee grounds and the pile stayed at 135 to 155 degrees for a two-week period.
  
  

Enhancing Garden Soil

• Applying coffee grounds directly to the soil can enhance flower and vegetable growth for those that thrive in acidic soil. Scratch a handful of coffee grounds into the soil around the plants and work them in well so a crust will not form on the surface. Coffee grounds contain nitrogen, calcium and magnesium. Use them around blueberries, tomatoes and mix some in with carrots and radishes when planting. Flowers that benefit from coffee grounds are hydrangeas, rhododendrons, azaleas and roses. Earthworms love coffee grounds and are attracted to them. They take the nutrients deep into the ground and enhance the soil.
  
  

Enhancing Fertilizer

• Liquid fertilizer made by mixing grounds with water enhances plant growth and the soil that surrounds the plants. Water plants with the fertilizer mixture to enhance the flavor of vegetables. Gardeners have been pouring left over cooled coffee on houseplants for years to give them a boost and green up the leaves.