Typical composters can handle plant material, paper, cardboard, manure, and the occasional eggshell. Vermicomposters can handle all of those along with the occasional plate of rice or pasta. There is only one method of composting that can handle all of the above as well as dairy products and meats, and that is bokashi composting!
Get ready because bokashi composting will change everything you thought you knew about composting at home. Not truly a composter, bokashi buckets actually ferment your food scraps, filling them with beneficial anaerobic microbes that quickly break your food down into plant available nutrients. In this post you’ll learn everything necessary to start bokashi composting today.
What Is Bokashi Composting?
Bokashi was first developed by Dr. Teuro Higa, at the University of Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan, in the early 1980s. The term Bokashi means “fermented organic matter.” Bokashi is essentially a system that uses special anaerobic bacteria to pickle your food waste before you bury the refuse in your soil. During that process, liquid from the food scraps will accumulate, and need to be drained off. This is called Bokashi Tea and can be used as a drain cleaner (the microbes will breakdown the stuck food waste over time), and as a powerful fertilizer for your outdoor plants. Once you bury your bokashi in the ground, you will find it decomposes within a matter of weeks.
Bokashi is made possible through the help of
What You’ll Need
You can purchase a pre-made bokashi bin for around $100 from a retail store, or a bokashi kit for $55 from our shop. While both of these options work well, you can always DIY it for around $35 with the following materials from your local hardware store. Once you’ve acquired the following list of materials, scroll down for instructions on how to assemble everything.
- Drill
- 1/4″ drill bit
- Brick
- Old T-shirt
- Bokashi
- 2 5 Gallon Buckets – (ex. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Leaktite-5-gal-70mil-Food-Safe-Bucket-White-005GFSWH020/300197644)
- 1 Snap on lid for the buckets – (ex. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Leaktite-5-Gal-Reusable-Bucket-Lid-6GLDBLK30/202264045)
- 1 Spigot (optional but recommended) (ex. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Vestil-Drum-Faucet-Non-Adjustable-3-4-Bung-VDFT/303111942)
Assembling Your Bokashi Bucket
1. We will start by making sure your buckets make a good seal. Bokashi is an anaerobic process so you want the least amount of air to get in as possible. If you are not using a spigot you will still want to be able to seperate them when you lift them up. If you are using a spigot, you can add a thick rubber band or something to make this seal more air tight.
2. Now, prepare the inner bucket. We will need to make some drainage holes in the bottom of bucket. Start by drilling 1/4″ holes in the center of the bucket and working your way out. During the composting process, the material in the bucket will create a sweet (almost vinegar) smelling liquid called leachate. We need to make enough holes so the leachate can easily drain out of the bokashi compost.
3. Next, prepare the outer bucket. If you are using a spigot, drill the hole as close to the bottom of the bucket as possible. Follow the installation directions for your specific spigot. Once your bokashi starts making liquid, you will need to drain this liquid off every 2-3 days.
4. Take the buckets and sand off any little plastic burs from the drilling process. Place a brick (or other spacer) to help support the bottom of the inner bucket. You want make sure that it isn’t sitting in leachate at the bottom. Place the inner bucket inside the outer bucket and press it down tightly. This is where you can add rubber bands around the neck of the inner bucket to help make an airtight seal if necessary.
5. Finally, trace the bucket on your old t-shirt and cut out a piece slightly bigger than the bottom of the bucket. Place this at the bottom of your inner bucket to ensure your first layer of bokashi doesn’t fall through the holes. Now you’re ready to learn how to use your bucket.
How To Use Your New Bokashi Bucket
To use your bokashi bucket, you will start by spreading a cup or two of bokashi bran in a thick layer on top of your old t-shirt. This initial layer is very important because it is what stops you from smelling the food as it ferments.
Add food scraps as you collect them throughout the day, being sure to add a layer of bokashi for every 1″-2″ of food scraps. It is recommended to not add any bits over 2″. While this isn’t a solid rule, the more finely the food is chopped up, the quicker it will decompose once it is added back to the garden. Everytime you add food, press your food scraps and bokashi down using a potato masher or an old plate to get all the air out. An easy trick I use is putting an old plate on top of my food scraps, and then placing a brick on top to constantly press down on the material and squeeze all the air out.
Continue layering the scaps and bokashi in a “lasagna method” until the bucket is almost full. At this point, add another cup or two of bokashi to the top to form a nice thick layer. Seal the bucket and let if ferment for 2 weeks, draining off the leachate every 2-3 days. If you are using a spigot, you can leave the spigot open and place a cup underneath. Mix this leachate with water and water you outdoor plants with it to promote soil health and nutrient availability. This mixture is slightly acidic, so be sure to spread it around or risk acidifying your soil. Alternatively, you can use this bokashi tea to clean the slime off of drains, pipes, and septic systems.
After two weeks, your compost will have completely fermented and will be ready to be buried in the garden, added to a compost pile, or added to a worm farm. While this material looks nearly identical to what went in, it has already been fermented and colonized with many beneficial microbes. You may see a white mold covering the surface of your refuse. THIS IS GOOD. If at any point your bokashi bucket has blue or green mold, either scrape that part out and discard it, or discard the entire batch.
Final Step: Burying Your Bokashi
Dig a hole in your garden bed large enough for your bokashi compost to all fit in, dig multiple smaller holes, or add your bokashi compost to your regular compost pile. Cover the bokashi compost with the dirt you dug up, making sure to mix the first few shovel fulls of dirt into the bokashi mix. Shovel the rest of the dirt on evenly on top of the bokashi until everything is covered with a good 3″-4″ layer of dirt. Water everything in to reduce the air pockets in the soil and let this soil sit for 1-2 weeks. After this time period, you bokashi will be fully composted and turned into rich healthy soil. If you added bigger chunks to your bucket you may need to allow for an additional week or two for those larger pieces to decompose.
Well, there you have it folks, using the bokashi composting method, you could turn fresh food scraps into healthy rich compost in just a month!