Chaff Up Your Garden

Maybe you caught our Instagram post, where James combined a delivery to the lovely Frome Wholefoods with picking up some coffee ánd some chaff at Dusty Ape.
Maybe it got it you wondering, what is this chaff?
And what can you do with it?

What is chaff?

Chaff is the husks of coffee beans. These husks comes off during the roasting process and need to be kept out of the coffee, because they don’t taste good in a cuppa.
How much chaff is produced varies on the exact procedure, which varies per roaster, but rough estimates suggest that on average for every pound of coffee, half a pound of chaff is produced. And all of that is waste to the roaster.

If roasters put their chaff in with their general waste, it ends up in landfill. Being a 100% natural and biodegradable product, the chaff will break down in landfill but it will emit methane in the process. Therefore, we’d rather not have that happening.

The good news is: chaff can easily be used in the garden!

How to Use Chaff

Chaff can be used very much like mulch.
Also, as a ground layer for chickens and other domestic animals, by the way, should you happen to have those.

This time of year –though we love a messy garden more than anything and advocate not tidying too much to help feed and hide all kinds of critters– annual plants die and need to be removed for they’ll just rot otherwise. If you top up your emptied beds with chaff, it’ll help prevent weeds growing in there, while slowly composting and adding nutrients and structure to your soil.

You can also mix in chaff with your compost, or lightly top up the soil around newly planted plants.

Chaff is rich in nitrogen, which is essential for growth and photosynthesis in plants. Only when a plant is big enough, it can create enough energy by photosynthesis to flower and grow fruits. So, especially when you are growing your own vegatables, you’ll want to make sure you get enough nitrogen in you soil.

Where Can You Get Chaff?

The best way to get chaff, is to find a nice coffee roaster. Roasters who take pride in their product and process, will be happy to see chaff being re-used purposefully. It will safe them the worry of how to dispose of it responsibly.

So, why not head out for a nice cuppa and just ask nicely. Chances are you’ll get your chaff for free.

If your roaster is slightly more shrewed, he may have bags ready for sale. Please consider, it may still be worth it.

Just don’t forget: a bit of mess is also very healthy for your garden and all that lives in it.