How Bokashi Works
Bokashi is a Japanese fermentation method that pickles food waste rather than decomposing it. You layer food scraps with bokashi bran, a wheat bran inoculated with effective microorganisms including lactic acid bacteria and yeast. The sealed anaerobic environment produces a fermented pre-compost in two weeks. Unlike traditional composting, bokashi accepts meat, dairy, and cooked food.
2Weeks
Setting Up Your Bokashi Bucket
You need two identical buckets with tight-fitting lids.
Setting Up Your Bokashi Bucket
You need two identical buckets with tight-fitting lids. Drill a series of small holes in the base of one bucket and nest it inside the other. The inner bucket holds your scraps and the outer bucket collects the liquid runoff. Many suppliers sell
Adding Food Waste Correctly
Add scraps in thin layers of 2 to 5 centimeters at a time.
Adding Food Waste Correctly
Add scraps in thin layers of 2 to 5 centimeters at a time. Chop larger pieces to speed fermentation. Sprinkle a tablespoon or two of bokashi bran evenly over each layer. Press scraps down firmly with a plate or a clean bag filled with water to push out
Drain the Leachate and Use It
Drain the liquid collecting in the outer bucket every two to three days.
Drain the Leachate and Use It
Drain the liquid collecting in the outer bucket every two to three days. This liquid, sometimes called bokashi tea, is diluted 1 to 100 with water and applied directly to soil or poured down drains to clean pipes. Undiluted it is too acidic for plants.
Burying the Finished Pre-Compost
Dig a trench or hole in garden soil at least 20 centimeters deep
Add the fermented bokashi material and cover with soil immediately
The material is acidic at first and needs two to four weeks to neutralize in soil
Do not plant directly into the trench for at least three weeks
Mark the location and check for full decomposition before planting above it