When it comes to composting with bokashi, it doesn’t get much simpler. Not only will you be able to increase the amount of food waste that you compost, but you’ll get usable compost faster! All you need is a bucket and some bokashi to get started.
Making a Bokashi Bucket
To make a bucket for your bokashi composting, there are two options depending on if you want to easily strain out the leachate to use as a fertilizer or not.
This option will make it more difficult to strain the leachate but is quick and simple. The only thing you need is a 5-gallon bucket with an airtight lid. Personally, we like the gamma lids since they are easy to take on and off. You can easily find these at your local hardware store or purchase one here.
You can now start adding your food waste and bokashi until the bucket is full.
For those looking to easily use the leachate in the garden, you will need:
- Two 5-gallon buckets
- Lid for one bucket
- Take one of your 5-gallon buckets and flip it upside down so you can drill 20-30 holes in the bottom.
- Place the bucket with holes inside of the other bucket that has no holes in the bottom.
- Start adding food waste and bokashi to the bucket.
- Place the lid on top to ensure it remains airtight.
If you’re feeling extra handy, you can add a spigot to the outer most bucket to easily drain leachate for use in the garden. If not, you can easily pull the topmost bucket and strain out the liquid.
You want to ensure that the lid is airtight. Since bokashi composting is an anaerobic system, it’s essential to keep as much air out of the bucket as possible. If for any reason, the lid that you purchase isn’t airtight, you can add a shirt or piece of fabric before placing it on to help keep the lid snug on the bucket.
Using the Bokashi Bucket
Now that the bucket is made, it’s time to start using it! Simply add a layer of food scraps to the bottom and sprinkle a handful of bokashi on top. You will continue adding a few inches of food waste topped with bokashi until the bucket is full.
Once the bucket is full, allow the food scraps to ferment for at least another 7 days. After this, you’ll just need to dig a hole, bury the bokashi and within two weeks, you’ll have compost ready to use in the garden!