Local coffeehouses and roasters are feeding our gardens—for free. MugShots in Staunton and Trager Brothers Coffee in Lovingston, for instance, dole out used grounds to customers on site.

     “Almost every day we can give away a five-gallon bucket of used espresso and coffee grounds,” says Bari Johnson, owner of MugShots, who recommends calling ahead to see how much is available. In fact, MugShots has about five customers who pick up grounds regularly, one of whom recently collected 30 gallons for his nearby farm.

     Containing large amounts of nitrogen, used coffee grounds can be added to compost and soil to improve plant development—and to feed and encourage worms. And because they’re acidic, they’re especially beneficial to acid-loving plants like blueberries.

     In Charlottesville, Shenandoah Joe Coffee is sending at least 50 gallons of grounds to Timbercreek Organics each week “We think Timbercreek has a really great program,” says chief operations manager Hannah Petty “So by donating our used coffee grounds, we are supporting local farms as well as reducing our waste.”

—Jordan McConnel