Home gardeners seeking bigger, juicier, and sweeter tomatoes may find the solution in an everyday kitchen staple: used coffee grounds. According to gardening experts and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), incorporating coffee grounds into tomato plant soil can significantly enhance fruit quality.
Tomatoes are a popular choice for home cultivation due to their ease of growth and generous yield. The RHS recommends planting tomatoes in free-draining, moisture-rich soil with ample sunlight and consistent watering.
While high-potassium liquid fertilizers are traditionally used to promote fruiting, especially for container-grown plants, recent advice highlights the benefits of coffee grounds as a natural, cost-free alternative.
LeAnne Samuelson, a gardening specialist from Prestige Botanicals, explains that tomatoes “absolutely love coffee grounds.” Coffee grounds provide a slow release of essential nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium—elements vital for robust tomato growth.
Additionally, coffee grounds are naturally acidic, helping to create the slightly acidic soil environment in which tomatoes thrive.
“Tomatoes will grow bigger and sweeter when you use coffee grounds, and the best part is it won’t cost you a penny,” Samuelson says. She notes that even grounds from coffee pods can be recycled for this purpose, making it an accessible option for most households.
To apply, gardeners should sprinkle about a cup of used coffee grounds around the base of each tomato plant and gently work them into the top two to three inches of soil. This process helps the grounds break down, gradually releasing nutrients and enriching the soil throughout the growing season.
Experts emphasize that this simple step can lead to healthier plants and a more bountiful, flavorful harvest, encouraging gardeners to make use of their kitchen scraps for garden success.
