GETTING your garden ready for summer can be tricky, especially if you have the local cat ruining all your hard work.
Before you start putting up extra fences, there is an easy way to prevent even the most determined tabby from pooing in your garden.
While we might love our four legged friends, it can be irritating to find that they’ve trashed your flower bed and left you a little present.
Though you can buy ultra-sonic gadgets to deter them, these can cost between £30-£50 and it can take up to four weeks to scare off the offending feline.
However, there is a more effective and cheaper tool that is probably lurking in your food bin.
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According to gardening expert @emmjay1991, cats hate the scent of freshly ground coffee and the influencer will regularly scatter the leftover grounds in her garden a deterrent.
She even filmed herself doing this to her flower bed, telling her followers that it was her best hack to stop the neighbourhood cats invading her outdoor space.
If you are tempted to try this, you simply need to take your coffee ground and gently crumble them on top of the soil.
However, this wasn't the only hack she has though.
The influencer also claiming that coffee ground can also be used to prevent slugs and snails.
Just like your furry friends, these pests can’t stand the smell of a cup of coffee and will also be put off by grounds in your garden.
This non-toxic method involves putting a ring of coffee grounds around your plants with a top up every couple of days to keep the creepy crawlies at bay.
Your plants will also get an extra boost from their dose of coffee – just like their human counterparts.
This is because coffee grounds are naturally rich in nitrogen, as well as nutrients like potassium and phosphorus, which plants need to grow.
You should avoid scattering your leftovers next to flowering plants though, as the smell can deter pollinators too.
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However, this trait makes coffee great for preventing flowering weeds though, with coffee grounds working to stop them from spreading.
Just sprinkle a little bit around the weed to prevent it from taking over your flower bed or on your lawn.
You can mix your left over grounds into your compost heap and over time, this will break down into a nutrient rich fertiliser for your plants.
Some experts claim that coffee can even help speed decomposition, as worms are naturally drawn to your leftover coffee.
If you weren’t already sold on this hack, coffee shops sometimes give away grounds for free – meaning you can get high quality plant food for nothing.
With these tips and tricks, your garden will be blooming lovely in no time at all.
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