Given that coffee grounds have a relatively high avilable Nitrogen level the information you got is not correct. You can use undigested coffee grounds as a soil amendment, they just should not be the only thing you use if you want a soil that has balanced nutrients. The link below will provide some good information about this.

Here is a link that might be useful: Nutrients of Coffee Grounds

Yes. Well the thing is, the "Oregon State University Extension Service Gardening Section Composting Expert" seems to have found that the fresh coffee grounds stimulate lots of (healthy) microbe development, which then requires nitrogen to thrive, and actually depletes the soil. This is what has me wondering.
Additionally, that Starbucks site seems to still believe that coffee grounds particularly benefit acid-loving plants, so I'm going to take their helpful information with healthy skeptisism.

Last year, I planted some bush beans and onions in soil right after amending with UCG's. I had weak germination and slow growth, don't know if the UCGs were to blame. The same bed nearby did fine.

This year, I read here that someone's grandmother used to plant her carrots in UCGs and they did well. I added a bunch to my sand/loam, compost mix where I plant root crops. The carrots came right up, but now they are just sitting there for several weeks, nothing but seed leaves. we've had a mix of cool sunny, cool rainy, and hot weather, so that doesn't seem to be a factor. They may take off soon. Ideally, I should have done a control, but my root crop area is so small that I could only do one trial there. I will try to remember to post how they do. Any amendment that doesn't have clumps in it is nice for carrots, who are so finicky about rough soil so it will be nice if this works.

One thing to watch out for--oops, just remembered this is what happened with the carrots--is that starbucks will put unused CG's in the bags, presumably when they have a spill on the floor, or something. That could really change growth and germination. I remember noticing that the batch I mixed into the carrot soil smelled like fresh, yummy coffee. I think there were unused grounds mixed into it.

So much for my career as an experimental plant scientist!

hepatica

Thanks for the information hepatica z7. I think I will start collecting them now, and compost them until next year, just to be safe.

I've had great success adding uncomposted coffee grounds to my pathetic dust-like soil. I credit the addition of the coffee grounds with the appearance of baby worms.

I, too, found that uncomposted coffee grounds inhibited the growth of vegetables. I will not be putting more uncomposted coffee grounds into my vegetable beds. I will be composting them or spreading them on the lawn.

i have used uncomposted coffee grounds in ornamental beds and my vegetable garden. Also used them around my baby fruit trees. i do not notice any major negative impacts from using them (nor do i see any major positive effects). Sometimes i have mixed them into the soil when planting, sometimes using them as a thin layer of mulch. i have had weeds germinate and grow in areas covered with coffee grounds. Linda Chalker-Smith recently wrote a short article on using coffee grounds in this online master gardener publication:

http://www.mastergardeneronline.com/preview/index.php?issue=0109

i would think that if the grounds stimulate the development of microbes in the soil, that's a great thing. i would also think the microbe population will eventually balance out and the result of their activity in the soil will have an overall beneficial effect.

That's the best article I've ever seen from Chalker-Scott. She's my favorite organic nut. She's at her worst when she's trying to debunk myths that nobody has ever heard of but her.

Coffee grounds make an excellent organic fertilizer when used at 10-20 pounds (dry) per 1,000 square feet. That is far (FAR) less than Chalker-Scott suggests when discussing coffee as a mulch.

Even by themselves coffee grounds "CAN" be a good addition to a soil, but they should not be the only form of organic matter that is added because they are not that well balanced. Just how the coffee grounds are used might influence the bacterial activity in the soil and even if the bacteria do jump right in and use up much of the available Nitrogen in the soil that N will get put back when those bacteria die. There are many people that have mixed coffee grounds in to their soil and have not seen N depletion in their plants, maybe because they already had ample N in their soil.
Coffee grounds should not be the only form of organic matter that goes in to your soil.

from what i've heard it's better than nothing...but you might want to use in addition to other fertilizers

Here is a link that might be useful: discussion about uncmposted coffee grounds

For the past few years, uncomposted coffee grounds have been the primary fertilizer on my lawn. I've used little other than the coffee grounds and my lawn is always the first to turn green in the spring and the last to turn brown in the fall (if it does turn brown; it often stays green through the winter) in my neighborhood.

I don't add them directly to the soil any longer. I had some plants die. I prefer to mix them with browns in the pile, but everyone has to do their own thing. Trail and Error.

Kimmsr: from an elemental standpoint, would please describe a properly balanced material to add to a clay loam, calcareous soil wth a pH of 7.2? I would like to remedy an iron deficiency in pear trees. The top soil is 42" deep with very good drainage.

Thank you,

Michael

I think it depends a lot on how you are using them. I have gotten good results applying UCGs lightly as an organic fertilizer. I don't amend soil with them, but I have topdressed my lawns with them for 4-5 years now and use very little other fertilizer and my lawns are beautiful emerald carpets. (If I may say so!) I also use them on my hostas, heucheras, and other plants that I grow mainly for foliage, but I apply them very lightly. I give each plant maybe 1/2 cup once or twice in the spring and sprinkle it around the crown. I have found that the UCGs used in this way also seem to discourage slugs.

By far most of the UCGs that I bring home go into the compost bin as a green.