The Many Uses of Coffee Grounds - Part 3

Attract earthworms to your garden

Just like sleep-starved teachers and long-haul truckers, earthworms L-O-V-E coffee. And you know what happy earthworms do to soil? Make it a whole lot richer! "They're attracted to organic material like coffee grounds, and they help distribute it through the soil," says Melinda Myers, a gardening expert, author, and host of the  How to Grow Anything  DVD set. A healthy worm population enhances the quality of garden soil by stimulating microbial activity, churning the soil, improve water-holding capacity and water filtration, providing channels for root growth, and burying plant residue, according to the USDA.

For optimal results, sprinkle your soil with a 1/2-inch-thick layer of coffee grounds, says Myers.