How many bokashi buckets do I need?

How many bokashi buckets do you need to set up a successful bokashi composting system? For 95% of people, the answer is 2.

Why do most people need two bokashi buckets?

Having two bokashi buckets allows you to continue to fill one bucket whilst the other bucket is fermenting. Most people take about two weeks to fill a bokashi bucket with food waste. Two weeks is the perfect amount of time for the food waste in your other bokashi bucket to complete its fermentation.

By using a two bin system it is much easier to get into a regular routine with bokashi composting. Every day you can add your food waste to one of the bins. Once the bin is full you know that approximately two weeks has gone by and that it’s time to bury the pre-compost in the first bin.

Don’t worry if it takes longer than two weeks to fill your bokashi bucket. The other food waste will happily sit for longer. Once fermentation is complete the bokashi’d food waste can be buried or just left until you are ready.

Can I bokashi compost with one bucket?

Yes, you can but this will make it harder to continuously collect and bokashi all of your food waste.

Ways to make one bucket bokashi systems work:

1. If you only produce very small amounts of food waste then you could store your food waste in the freezer whilst the bokashi bucket completes its two weeks fermentation. After two weeks, bury your fermented pre-compost as usual. Then add your collected food waste to your bokashi bucket. You will need to add in 1 inch layers and sprinkle each layer with 1 or 2 heaping tablespoons of bokashi bran. Continue to add your food waste on a daily basis until your bokashi bucket is full. You will then need to start storing food waste in your freezer again whilst the contents of your bokashi bucket ferments.
2. Alternatively, you may not need huge amounts of bokashi compost. Simply use your bokashi bucket as and when you need to make the right amount of compost for you.

Can I use more than two bokashi buckets?

Absolutely! If you are filling your bokashi bucket in less than two weeks, you should consider adding a third (or more) bucket to your bokashi composting system. This way you can ensure that each batch of food waste gets at least two weeks to complete fermentation.

Alternatively, you can get inventive and find larger containers to make into bokashi buckets, like at the North Country Fair. Read more