Use Coffee to Deter Aphids

While it may seem like spring will never come, the gardening season will be here before we know it. There is a spray that you can create using coffee grounds that will help deter aphids from eating your garden. So save your coffee grounds from your coffee maker in order to create this garden spray. The reason you will use coffee grounds in this spray is because insects, especially aphids, do not enjoy the energy that comes from consuming plants with caffeine on them.

Ingredients:
(Any or all of the following herbs)
Yarrow
Tansy
Pennyroyal
Thyme
Lavender
Rue
Catnip
Artemisia
And 2 tablespoons used coffee grounds
2 cups of water

Directions:
Mix a cup of the herbal mixture with your coffee grounds and 2 cups of water. Allow mixture to marinate for 24 hours. Use a strainer and place liquid into a spray bottle. Your spray is now ready to use and should keep for several weeks.

Using Permanent Coffee Filters

There are several benefits to using permanent coffee filters. The following are some of the things that we find to be beneficial to using this type of coffee filter:

Improves the flavor of drip brewed coffee.
A permanent filter will eventually pay for itself as it is reusable.
Less waste. You do not have a filter that has to be thrown away each time you make coffee.
Save cabinet space since with a permanent filter you only have one instead of a large package of several filters.

Do you use a permanent coffee filter? If so, what do you like/dislike about them?