Tomatoville® Gardening Forums - View Single Post - Newbie Ramial Chip Wood pedogenesis question about grey water...

burritos · December 23, 2016

Since the end of summer, I've been building my new garden beds with the local free public wood chips. I don't know what I'll be growing, maybe some berries and fruit trees, maybe some random ornaments that are on the clearance shelf at Homedepot. I've also been mixing in coffee grounds from mutliple local coffee shops. Since I'm in Southern Calif, minimal water use is an imperative. I even got a rain barrel from a neighbor and ordered 2 more from the city rain barrel program. I have a few questions if anyone can give feedback:
1. Can you use too much coffee grounds? In my old home, I think I smothered my grass by using too much grounds thinking it was going to morph into soil. However, with wood chips and it's providing cover for worms, will it all get eaten up? I have 2 compost piles which I could throw the extra grounds in t. However, if worms under woodchip piles will just as easily eat it up and provide nitrogen to the soil that'd be my preference.
2. I collect sink water with a water basin and dump it on my ornamentals, and even a foot away from my veggie garden. I assume the variety of microorganism will just metabolize and clean up the grey water. Anyone else do this?

December 23, 2016	#1
burritos Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Newbury Park, CA Posts: 1	Newbie Ramial Chip Wood pedogenesis question about grey water... Since the end of summer, I've been building my new garden beds with the local free public wood chips. I don't know what I'll be growing, maybe some berries and fruit trees, maybe some random ornaments that are on the clearance shelf at Homedepot. I've also been mixing in coffee grounds from mutliple local coffee shops. Since I'm in Southern Calif, minimal water use is an imperative. I even got a rain barrel from a neighbor and ordered 2 more from the city rain barrel program. I have a few questions if anyone can give feedback: 1. Can you use too much coffee grounds? In my old home, I think I smothered my grass by using too much grounds thinking it was going to morph into soil. However, with wood chips and it's providing cover for worms, will it all get eaten up? I have 2 compost piles which I could throw the extra grounds in t. However, if worms under woodchip piles will just as easily eat it up and provide nitrogen to the soil that'd be my preference. 2. I collect sink water with a water basin and dump it on my ornamentals, and even a foot away from my veggie garden. I assume the variety of microorganism will just metabolize and clean up the grey water. Anyone else do this?