Bokashi

As we wind down to the new, Mexico season I’m finding myself a little bit bored so I need something new to excite me. A friend came by the other day and provided the perfect solution: composting. Not just any composting but Bokashi composting.

I turned to the main “how to do it” site on the internet: Youtube, and looked it up. It was a little scary as the last time I did this I YouTubed hydroponics and look at the mess that got me into.

As I’m always looking to try something new I thought that this may be the thing to ease my boredom.

The dirt garden, although getting better this year, the soil still needs a lot of building up. I think a good dose of compost may help. I know very little about gardening but I do try. I heard the word compost and knew this had to be the answer to the failed crops I’ve had over the last few years.

This is all done in two 4-gallon paint buckets from home depot for about $15 or you can buy the proper bucket for about $60. I’m sure you can guess which one I chose. Although the $60 bucket does come with a tap. Unlike conventional composting, this is an airtight process so a tight lid also helps to keep out any odours.

The secret ingredient is a composting process that uses microorganisms known as ‘Bokashi bran’ to ferment organic food waste and create a super-fertile compost that will enrich your soil. The bran and compost are layered in the bucket and at the end of two weeks, the waste is fermented and ready to go into the garden. Meanwhile, the liquid produced is collected, heavily diluted and fed to the house plants. Now you know why you need a tap in the bucket.

Next, you just dig a trench, dump in the compost and then cover it with dirt. At this point, the waste solids haven’t broken done yet, but there is little or no smell. The rest of the process takes a few more weeks.

For anyone who may be interested, here are a few videos. The bran tends to be a bit pricy but eventually, I will make my own with the help of these videos: The second one doesn’t even need bran.

The thing I like most is that the buckets can sit right outside the door and we don’t have to worry about odours.

You can’t plant over the trench for a few weeks as the compost may still be too strong and burn the plants. Anyway, I’m going to give it a try and will report back later.