Coffee certainly has a place in the garden. There is nothing more relaxing than sitting back to sip a good cup of coffee surrounded by the beauty of nature.

You can even grow coffee as a plant; a natural small tree known as coffea arabica.  But you’ll need to live in a very mild climate to grow it outdoors. Otherwise, you can plant it in a pot to enjoy on the patio during warm months and bring it indoors when the weather cools. It also makes a good house plant – but don’t expect to get sufficient or quality beans to make your own coffee from growing your own plants.

There are other ways coffee — or the materials involved in making coffee — can help out your garden. You can recycle those inexpensive paper coffee filters for gardening help. And don’t throw the coffee grounds in the garbage either. Here is a little list of some of the ways you can make more use of coffee in the garden.

• Use coffee grounds to acidify soil and add nitrogen. Add them to a compost heap or dig them directly into the soil.
• Use coffee filters for germinating seeds. Moisten the filters and sprinkle the seeds on top. Pop them in a clear plastic bag and wait for them to grow.
• Line the bottom of a pot. Instead of using crocking or newspaper, try using coffee filters to cover the drainage holes in the bottom of a pot so the water passes through, but the soil doesn’t.
• Absorb oil spills on the driveway or greenhouse. Coffee filters make excellent absorbent pads.
• Press flowers in a book using coffee filters to blot up any moisture as the plants dry.