Apartment finishing off
Kort asked 7 years ago
I have one real quick question for you if you don’t mind. I don’t have access to a garden, backyard, compost pile or worm bin as I live in an apartment. I had planned on finishing off the bokashi compost in a storage tub or something similar.
My question is when finishing off the bokashi compost inside a container like a storage tub or bin should I put the lid on it to shut and seal it or should I leave the lid ajar for some air to get in or even leave the lid off completely?
I’m just getting ready to start using my kit and I’m pretty excited! I’ve purchased compost for years and this will be my first attempt at creating my own. Living in a building with no roof access or way to produce traditional style compost, bokashi is really my only option.
Nicki Casley Staff answered 7 years ago
Great question. We recommend that you do put a lid on the container. This is mostly needed to keep odors (and a small amount of moisture) out of your apartment. It also serves the added purpose of keeping excess air away from the pre-compost, which will improve the process somewhat.
Note that the lid does not have to be perfectly sealing. Any lid will do really. And also, considering that you are keeping the container inside (some people keep them outside, and drill holes into the bottoms so that there is contact with the ambient soil), we would recommend that you add some extra garden soil to yours. An extra inch or two on the bottom, and an extra inch or two on the top when covering the pre-compost, will help. Some people report excess moisture in their inside composting containers, and adding extra soil will help with that. It will also help because it will introduce extra garden micro and macro organisms into the container. These micro and macro organisms work wonders to help breakdown and produce good compost.
So be sure to try to add the soil from a good garden setting, one with healthy soil – worms and soil bugs recommended!
Hope that helps. Feel free to reply with any other questions.