Coffee gets my compost steaming

After adding approximately four big bags of wet coffee grounds to my compost pile a week ago, I went out to stir it yesterday and saw something I'd never seen before: steam. That's a good thing, it means the micro biotic community in my bin is chugging along at a speed that is creating its own heat.

I've never seen that happen before. Usually my compost is very slow. I have a tendency to let it dry out, which essentially mummifies the yard waste instead of letting it break down.

Why did coffee grounds do such amazing things: two reasons.
1. They're loaded with nitrogen which is rare in the compost pile at this time of year. (Green things generally have nitrogen.)
2. They're loaded with moisture, and since the tiny particles can be easily mixed in, they spread the moisture around.

So, if you want to start composting with grounds, here's a recipe. You want to mix "green" and "brown" material. You want a 1 to five ratio of green to brown.
Green is any fresh material (such as grass clippings) that can provide nitrogen to the pile. Brown is any old material (especially dead leaves) that can provide food for the micro organisms to break down. Coffee counts as a "green" material, even though it is brown in color.

Either layer the materials or mix them up. Make sure the pile is loose so it has plenty of air. Turn it every few weeks with a pitch fork.

For more composting advice, click here.