garden barrel with bokashi instead of worms?
hilde asked 4 years ago
I was thinking of making a garden barrel with pockets for strawberry’s and lettuce. I wonder if I can put bokashi (not bokashi that’s already made, but to make the bokashi itself in the center of the barrel instead of worms that do the composing.
What would you think would that be ok?
What things should I be alert of?
Thanks for your help
Nicki Casley Staff answered 4 years ago
We love the question. It once again demonstrates how flexible the bokashi process is and how everybody can find a way to use it uniquely.
Three things to keep in mind:
1) As your barrel will be on the small side compared to a garden, use only a smaller amount of food waste for this. Perhaps just half a bokashi bin worth of food waste will be enough, as a start.
2) For the first several weeks while the food waste is exposed to the bokashi bran, it will work best to keep air away. So pack some extra dirt on top. This is why the bokashi bin works so well – its airtight! Your method will work, but because it will be more aerobic, allow for extra time for the food waste to properly ferment from the bokashi bran.
3) You will want to bury the food waste away from where the plant roots are. The fermentation process is acidic, too acidic for plant roots. Burying it away will protect the roots. The microbes and nutrients from the bokashi process will work their way over to the roots all on their own when they are ready.
Happy composting!