I'm gonna try Bokashi!

peebee · #1

I'm excited to be trying something new again, this time bokashi. Unlike composting, bokashi is more like fermenting, and you can add practically anything that you would not put in a compost bin or pile, such as meat, cheese, even bones.
Anyone else doing bokashi? I've been watching lots of YouTube videos & researching online also.

PlainJane · #2

I’ve heard of it … intriguing. Good luck!

pepperhead212 · #3

I was interested in that, too, though I haven't tried it yet. I figured I'll have to do it behind the shed in the summer - since it's anaerobic, I'm concerned about the odors!

Here's an interesting article, and another they give on how to put it together, with two 5 gal buckets.
https://www.thespruce.com/basics-of-bok ... ng-2539742

https://www.thespruce.com/making-an-ine ... et-2539616

GoDawgs · #4

This sounds like a really interesting project and I will be watching for updates! Gamma lids would be perfect for this making it a lot easier to open the bucket for addition of more stuff than the snap on lids. I had to replace the spigot on my wine making bucket and the spigots came in a pack of four so I've already got one if I decide to try this.

rossomendblot · #5

We've been doing bokashi for quite a few years now. It's not a silver bullet for food waste, the stuff comes out of the bucket looking pretty much the same as it did went it went in. The benefit is that it breaks down much faster in a compost pile/dug into soil and it's a good way to store cooked food/animal food waste safely until you can use it. It does smell when you open the bucket, but it's more of a tangy, weird, sweet odour than full on anaerobic stink. The liquid is very acidic so I don't use it directly on plants, it just gets chucked somewhere in the flower borders.

peebee · #6

@rossomendblot , how soon after applying the bokashi bran do you look at it? I've seen a friend's waste & it was almost entirely decomposed after about 3 weeks in ground. I figure I would need at least 2 weeks for the fermentation to begin if done directly in ground, buried. Then another 2 to 3 weeks to see results.
And yes like you I will add some to my compost bins.

I also will bokashi in a 2 bucket system to get the liquid. My soil is very alkaline so an acidic liquid might be beneficial. The smell is yeasty, not unpleasant (at least to my nose).
Thanks for everyone's input, I can't wait for my supplies to arrive.

Tormato · #7

You will nose if it goes wrong.

peebee · #8

@GoDawgs yes I'll look into those gamma lids after I decide if I want to continue bokashi-ing. I already had a bucket with a spout, plus another with drainage holes to put on top. I'm trying not to buy unnecessary stuff for now. But those lids are definitely on my radar. Until then, a regular lid with a rock on top will have to do. Thanks.

rossomendblot · #9

peebee wrote: ↑Tue Dec 20, 2022 4:16 pm @rossomendblot , how soon after applying the bokashi bran do you look at it? I've seen a friend's waste & it was almost entirely decomposed after about 3 weeks in ground. I figure I would need at least 2 weeks for the fermentation to begin if done directly in ground, buried. Then another 2 to 3 weeks to see results.
And yes like you I will add some to my compost bins.

I also will bokashi in a 2 bucket system to get the liquid. My soil is very alkaline so an acidic liquid might be beneficial. The smell is yeasty, not unpleasant (at least to my nose).
Thanks for everyone's input, I can't wait for my supplies to arrive.

We fill a bin, top it with the bran then forget about it until it's time to dump it in the compost, which can be a few weeks or a couple of months. We don't have any empty soil space to do it in ground, I'd probably have to start digging up the lawn (and I've done a lot of that already!).

peebee · #10

I think & hope I'll see results faster if I do as I've seen online, where you add the bokashi bran after each addition to the container, mashing it all down & covering the surface before closing the lid. That way you should be applying the bran several times before the bucket is filled. I mainly want to bury the fermented waste in my large pots of spent potting soil to revive it all. I'll add other things too like worm castings & amendments.
I ordered a 20 lb bag of bran but I won't see it till about 3 weeks from now. That's ok as I'll be starting my seeds soon.

rossomendblot · #11

That's the way we do it too, thin layers of waste with a sprinkling of bran, compact with a potato masher, then a final bigger sprinkling on top when it's full. I have used it at the bottom of pots before, but I generally prefer to dump it all in the compost pile at once and cover it up quickly because I don't really like the smell and I don't want to bother my neighbours. The smell isn't that bad it's just strange.

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