[Eblana]

Hi all,

My niece has just started work in the local branch of an international coffee shop and has offered me as much coffee grinds as I want but she said that I wasn't to put them in my home compost bin because they are toxic to dogs.  Does anyone know if this is true or not, is it just the volume that makes them toxic (I am worried because I have been putting the grinds from our own percolator on the compost and the dogs regularly scavenge in it).

Also is there a limit to the amount of grinds I can add to the compost and do I need to balance them out with green material or woody material?

[Trikidiki]

According to this page: http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/caffeine/, caffeine is toxic to dogs, I have never heard of it before but as said on that page, they are probably more exposed to it these days. However, it seems most things seem to be toxic to dogs these days, I have fed my dog grapes and raisins for years then someone told me recently that they were now deemed to be toxic.

If you are adding them to your compost bin then unless your dog is likely to get in there and eat them it won't be a problem as they will soon decompose. I guess you know your dog best so take whatever precautions you see fit.

[Dopey113]

I used to get free coffee grinds from Costa (3 shops) I had loads of them after I sifted the rubbish out of them, but I had a bad year putting them in the soil, there far too acid for most things, slugs hated them though

[Trikidiki]

Good for blueberries then.

I might get some for mine, they are in the fruit cage and the dog doesn't go in there often, least of all without me.

[Eblana]

I won't take too much then.  I will put some in the compost heap up at the plot where there are no dogs and I will put some around my blueberries as wall.