bokashi

[lavandulagirl]

Have any of you tried this method of composting, and if so, do you think it posed any great advantage over more traditional methods? I've been fielding questions about it from some gardeners I know, but have not seen it in action. The info I have makes it seem like more of a small scale thing, but then I ran across some info that made it sound as though it was used on a larger scale in Japan.
www.groovygreen.com/groove/?p=3669

www.emtrading.com/em/bokashi.html

[canadamike]

Alan is bokashitting in his pants right now, ask him ;D ;D ;D

[bunkie]

lav, i was doing a lot of reading about bokashi when i was studying EMs and BIMs and LB stuff. i haven't tried it yet but gathered lots of info....

bokashislope.blogspot.com/

www.livingsoil.co.uk/learning/apnan.htm

bokashicomposting.com/?p=36

tribes.tribe.net/effectivemicro/thread/d6b8fd03-e2c7-4650-a658-51fdf4f013ad

also, over at idig in 'general digging', izzy was discussing making bokashi.

i also remember reading something about, in Japan, where they use buckets for composting...no bran or grain stuff...but newspaper and meal wastes...can't find the link right now...

[lavandulagirl]

Thanks, Bunkie! I will direct a few folks to both those links you put here, and some that Izzy and Tasty of Hasty listed over there. It's one of those methods (there are so many!) that I'm kind of familiar with, but don't personally use. I have it on a list of stuff I'd like to play around with some day, like square foot gardening, and hydroponics.

[silverseeds]

I think Im going to play around with worm composting inside a bucket this winter

[davidintx]

I am trying Woodchuck's method of newspaper bokashi. I followed his directions for making the newspaper as the carrier for the bacteria that does the work. It takes a little time for the producing of the inocculant and fermenting the newspaper.....about 3-4 weeks total.....before you start actually using it, but it is a lot less expensive than going the sawdust route and buying the inocculant somewhere online. I have been bokashing our kitchen waste for about 3 weeks now, and it seems to be going ok. I have been splitting up our kitchen waste between bokashi, vermicomposting, black soldier fly composting, and regular compost pile composting, so it's taking longer to fill up the bokashi bucket. At the end of each day I put no more than a half-inch layer of kitchen scraps into the 5-gallon bucket and put a single layer of "prepared" newspaper on top and press down to squeeze out any air, and put the lid back on tight. There has been no bad smell at all. It has a kind of "fermenting" smell to it when you take the lid off. It will take me a while to get it all filled up, but once it does I'll let it set outside for a couple of weeks, then put some in the garden soil, and some in the worm bin to see how it helps. That's all my experience, not much, but a start.

[woodchuck]

Excellent!

I just noticed this thread!

Yes, there are many advantages to Bokashi....

Lots of good info in the following thread, including how I got started.......

alanbishop.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=soilbuilding&action=display&thread=2126

My website is in desperate need of an update, I'm going to ditch the blog format and rebuild from the bottom up, adding some, I hope, exciting new information and a small forum.

bokashicomposting.com/



<Woodchuck>

[PatrickW]

I'm sure woodchuck knows more than me, in particular I have never tried it, but just since I don't see it explicitly stated anywhere...

My understanding is one of the major advantages to bokashi is you can put ALL kitchen food waste into a bokashi bucket, including meat, cheese, cooked food, bones, etc. You can also keep it for a long time in your kitchen, because it doesn't smell. After it's done pickling in the bokashi bucket, you just add it to your compost.

[lavandulagirl]

See, I knew I'd had this conversation somewhere before! ;D (Mind like a seive, I tell you!) I had kind of given up on the idea of doing it as a large scale experiment, and then I got a question about it at a meeting, and the person referenced a Japanese study he had read.

I ended up using the 55 gallon barrels I referenced in that January thread for water cachement in the spring, but they are again empty, since we moved in late June. Perhaps I will try the lactobacillus/bokashi method this winter. Would it be too cold, do you think, to keep the container outside? It does get down in freezing range here in winter.

Also, did you ever do the bokashi in 55 gallon drums? I think you mentioned that you might try that.

[woodchuck]

Aug 29, 2009 9:56:45 GMT -5 lavandulagirl said:

Also, did you ever do the bokashi in 55 gallon drums? I think you mentioned that you might try that.

Yes, grass clippings and garden waste in sealable 55 gallon drums, and as expected, the worms went crazy for it.



<Woodchuck>

[davidintx]

Woodchuck, is it possible to give the directions for silaging the grass clippings and garden waste in the 55 gal drums anytime soon, before you redo your website? I was really interested in doing this but didn't know how long I would have to wait. Or can you direct me to a website that explains how to make it, if you don't have the time? Thanks.

[Alan]

Keep up the good work in this conversation my friends, small scale composting is of great importance to the work of our friends in sustainable agriculture.

I have not used Bokashi but have read about it quite often if only to pass on what I can learn to those who are interested in this composting "art"

[woodchuck]

Sept 1, 2009 14:41:45 GMT -5 davidintx said:

Woodchuck, is it possible to give the directions for silaging the grass clippings and garden waste in the 55 gal drums anytime soon, before you redo your website? I was really interested in doing this but didn't know how long I would have to wait. Or can you direct me to a website that explains how to make it, if you don't have the time? Thanks.

David,

I'm sorry it took so long to respond.
I'm super busy during harvest season.

The ensiled grass clippings are easy to produce.
I pack them in the 55 gallon barrel, adding a few handfuls of bokashi newspaper confetti here and there to ensure a speedy culture.

After about 3 weeks I start portioning them out to the worms, they really love the stuff!


<Woodchuck>

[Alan]

Wow Woodchuck, that is a great idea with the grass clippings, I bet the worms love that stuff, plus you get the advantage of a much higher nitrogen content, I'm gonna have to look into that.


I had been playing with making compost using the normal suspects as half of the mix and then composting half using chicken manure, once it's composted the ammonia is gone and the nitrogen content is relatively high, but tolerable to the worms, I've been feeding some of this through the herd over the past couple of days and they seem to absolutely love it. They are eating it in 2-3 inch intervals in just a couple of days.

[davidintx]

Woodchuck, one other question. Are the grass clippings put in fresh, or do you let them dry out a day or two after cutting? Also, I am assuming that you pack the clippings tight just like you do the bucket inside the house. The drum would require quite a bit of shredded newspaper wouldn't it?