8/26/2023 0 Comments Happy farmer bokashi![]() In the garden beds, buried six inches deep, the scraps turn into a material almost indistinguishable from the native soil. In the compost bin, the scraps act as a compost accelerant. After two weeks, the food scraps are partially broken down but need to be finished off in either a compost bin or in a hole in the ground. At that point, I place the lid onto the top bucket and let the waste ferment for two weeks, draining off the liquid as needed. Bury them with at least six inches of soil, and don’t disturb the area for two more weeks while the compost breaks down the rest of the way.Īt this point, just four weeks after starting the process, your compost-soil mix is ready for planting!Įnjoy our companion video on bokashi composting in our Resource Center.Eventually, the bucket with the waste gets full of scraps. Take the contents of the bucket and place them in a hole or trench in your garden. Secondary fermentation is done in the soil. If you see any colorful mold, though, something went wrong: throw it out and try again. There may be a white mold growing on it: this is normal, healthy mycelium. The scraps will have broken down, but some food will still be discernible. ![]() From Kitchen to Soil in Four WeeksĪt the end of two weeks, it’s time for secondary fermentation. Don’t peek! Your helpful microbes need to be kept air-free during this period. This will give the compost time to ferment and break down. Once your container is full, seal the lid and set it aside for two weeks while the compost undergoes primary fermentation. This tea can be diluted with water at 1/4 cup per gallon water and used on your garden. You will need to drain the “compost tea” every few days, to remove the liquid that is released as the food breaks down. You can even keep it in your kitchen, since the lid holds in what little smell the composting scraps generate. Keep your container out of direct sunlight and away from extreme heat or cold. If your scraps start to smell bad, add more bran: the boost of beneficial microbes should be sufficient to overcome any bad smelling microbes. Be sure to seal the lid every time, and you’ll have even better results if you weigh down a sheet of plastic on the top of the scraps in the container in order to keep it even more sealed from the air. Chopping the scraps into small pieces is helpful, but not necessary (after all, this is supposed to be quick and easy composting!). You can compost any food scrap, even dairy and meat (just add more bran for these). Every time you add food scraps, add a thin coating of bran to the top. Sprinkle a handful of bokashi bran on the bottom of the container. Now you’re ready to get started! Saving the World in Just One Minute Per Day This is a complex blend of bacteria and yeast which, when applied to kitchen waste and kept in an anaerobic environment, will outcompete all the other microbes (like mold) that would grow on the decomposing scraps. The other supply you will need is the correct inoculant, called Bokashi bran. You can build your own using instructions in the book Bokashi Composting. The ideal container size is one you can fill in two weeks or less. The container, then, should be solid and have a sealable lid. ![]() Unlike compost piles, which require adequate oxygen for the correct microbes to thrive, Bokashi microorganisms live in conditions with little to no oxygen. You will need a container for composting in. The first step is to get the necessary supplies. Watch Tricia demonstrate in the video Bokashi Composting, to see just how easy it is to compost your kitchen scraps. The process is simple, but must be followed or else the result will be rotten. As with correctly prepared fermented food, a correctly fermented compost will yield healthy results. Essentially, Bokashi compost is fermented compost. The mechanism of Bokashi composting is very similar to making pickles, wine, kombucha, or most other fermented foods. In recent years, the process has been studied and improved, so that now it is possible to purchase a high quality inoculant for composting without the trouble of having to make your own. If this sounds like you, it’s time to consider Bokashi composting!īokashi composting originated in Japan, where it was traditionally practiced for centuries. Have you been wanting to compost your kitchen scraps, but don’t have the space or quantity of waste for a traditional pile? Or have you tried composting, but found that it took too much time to monitor, water, and aerate the pile? Or perhaps the whole process of carbon-nitrogen balancing seems too complicated to bother with? Bokashi: An Ancient Method for the Modern Gardener
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