Bokashi composting is a method of quickly breaking down organic waste. Unlike conventional composting, a Bokashi system makes use of Effective Microorganisms (EM) that are added to the organic waste stored in a Bokashi bin.

The Bokashi composting process is more of a fermentation process than a conventional composting process. Air is not required for the organic matter to ferment. Because of this, the process is odour free and makes for a perfect kitchen compost bin. The system can be completely sealed, which removes any worries about insects or animals making a nuisance of themselves.

Using a Bokashi composter it is possible to compost foods scraps which can’t be added to traditional compost system. Meat, fish, cheese and cooked food waste are all welcome in a Bokashi composter. This is a great way of putting those extra nutrients to good use in the garden, rather than sending them to landfill.

During the fermentation process, a liquid can be drained from the organic matter. Most Bokashi bins have a tap to easily allow for this. This liquid, sometimes called Bokashi Tea, can be used in one of two ways. It can be used as an effective cleaner when poured directly down drains, or can be diluted and used as a great fertiliser.

The Bokashi composting process is quick. It usually takes around two weeks for the Effective Microorganisms to break down a standard Bokashi bin full of organic matter. Once fermentation is complete, the contents of a Bokashi bin do not look much like traditional compost. Because the organic matter has been fermented, rather than rotted, the end product looks quite similar to the scraps originally put into the Bokashi composter. However, by this stage the important work has been done and the scraps have been broken down into the types of nutrients which plants can use directly.

After fermentation, the organic matter can be added to a worm compost bin or buried directly in garden soil. If the matter is buried directly into the soil, it could take a month or two before it is completely incorporated into the soil, although this may be quicker depending on the soil temperature. During this process, no further attention is required. The fermented organic matter does not need to be aerated or turned as it would in a conventional composting system.

Bokashi Composting provides the ideal way to compost indoors. It is quick, simple, odour free and allows all food waste to be composted. It is a great way of turning food scraps into plant-ready nutrients, keeping waste out of landfill and recycling at home.

1) Odour free

Bokashi Composting is more of a fermentation process than conventional composting process. It doesn’t require air, and so is odour free. The Bokashi bin can be sealed, air tight, and won’t produce nasty aromas to infiltrate your kitchen.

2) It’s simple

You don’t need to separate out cooked foods, meat, fish or cheese. You don’t need to worry about brown waste or green waste. It is all welcome in a Bokashi composter. Just add a bit of Bokashi bran and leave it to ferment. You don’t even need to turn or aerate the mix like you would in a conventional composter.

3) Nutrient retention

Whatever you put in the Bokashi bin stays in the Bokashi bin. No gasses are produced which means that nutrients can’t escape. The end result is nutrient rich plant food.

4) It’s compact

A Bokashi compost bin won’t take up much space in your kitchen. After a couple of weeks of fermenting in a Bokashi bin, organic matter can be used straight away in the garden, so you won’t need to have a large compost heap outside to recycle kitchen waste.

5)No insects

Unlike conventional composting, organic matter does not rot in a Bokashi bin. This means that insects are not very interested in what’s going on. Added to the fact that an airtight lid can be applied, this means that a Bokashi kitchen composter will remain insect free.

6) It’s quick

Bokashi composting is much quicker than conventional composting. This means that you can put the recycled nutrients to good use in the garden, and start filling the bin again more often.

7) You’ll throw out less garbage

All food scraps can be added to a Bokashi composter, so none needs to be put in the garbage. This will stop your garbage from smelling bad and will mean that you send less to landfill.

I hope we’ve convinced you that a Bokashi composting system is the perfect choice for your kitchen. If you haven’t already, now is the ideal time to get started with your kitchen compost bin, and cut down on your waste.

You only need one Bokashi bin to get started with Bokashi composting although we recommend using two bins if you can. With two bins, whilst the first is full and fermenting you can use the second to start the process again with your new kitchen scraps. Once you have your Bokashi bin(s) ready, the only other things you’ll need are Bokashi bran and some organic waste.

Bokashi Composting Method

1) Start by sprinkling a little bit of Bokashi bran over the bottom of the Bokashi bin. A small handful should be enough.

2) Add a layer of food waste to the bin. Cut up any large items that you’re adding, as this will speed up the process. Golf ball sized or smaller is good. It’s fine to add meat, fish, dairy, cooked or uncooked foods but try not to add anything with lots of moisture, like milk or juice.

3) Sprinkle another handful of Bokashi bran over the food waste.

4) Press down on the food waste with a flat plate, masher or something similar. By doing this, you’re trying to remove some of the trapped air, and roughly level the surface of the food waste.

5) Put the lid on your Bokashi bin. The lid should be airtight, minimising the amount of air coming into contact with the food waste.

6) Continue to add food waste and Bokashi bran in layers. Keep going until the Bokashi bin is full.

7) Every 2 or 3 days, drain any excess liquid from the Bokashi bin. Do this while you are still filling the bin in layers, and also when it is full. Most bins have a tap for this purpose. For maximum effectiveness, the collected Bokashi Juice should be used within 24 hours.

8) When full, leave the Bokashi bin with its lid tightly sealed for 2 weeks. Bokashi Juice should continue to be drained off during this time.

9) After 2 weeks, the Bokashi compost will be ready to use.

That’s all there is to it. Just follow these simple steps and you’ll soon be recycling 100% of your food waste.

After you have followed the Bokashi Composting Instructions and fermented your food scraps, you’ll be left with a batch of highly nutritious, organic matter just waiting to break down fully. Sometimes this material is called “pre-compost” because it’s not yet ready to be used directly on your plants. There are different ways the Bokashi pre-compost can be used. These are the most common three:

In this article, we look at adding Bokashi pre-compost to an outdoor compost pile.

Adding Bokashi Pre-Compost To A Compost Pile

If you don’t like the idea of burying your Bokashi pre-compost directly in your garden, then another option is to add it to a compost pile. This is perhaps more straightforward than burying in the garden because you don’t need to plan where and when to dig holes or trenches to bury the pre-compost.

Adding Bokashi pre-compost to a compost pile in your garden increases the rate at which the organic matter in the heap breaks down. This is because of the Effective Microorganisms (EM) present in the Bokashi pre-compost. Using Bokashi pre-compost in a compost heap is also a great way of incorporating meat, fish, dairy and cooked food, ensuring that you’re able to fully recycle all of your food waste.

When adding Bokashi pre-compost to a compost heap, you don’t need to worry too much about draining off all of the excess Bokashi Juice first (although Bokashi Juice can be very useful, so you might want to collect as much as you can to use elsewhere). Excess Bokashi Juice shouldn’t harm you compost pile.

Because the Bokashi composting process is anaerobic (it doesn’t need air), the Effective Microorganisms (EM) are able to get to work breaking down the organic matter in your compost pile throughout all layers. They don’t just break down the matter near the surface, or rely on you regularly turning or aerating the pile.

When adding Bokashi pre-compost, it is best to mix the fermented waste (and the EM contained within it) throughout the pile as much as possible. We recommend digging several holes in the pile, as deep as is easily possible, and covering the bottoms with Bokashi pre-compost. Then, fill the holes with layers of Bokashi pre-compost and organic matter from the compost pile, mixing as you go.

Adding Bokashi pre-compost to a compost pile speed up the rate that the pile breaks down, giving you rich compost sooner than usual. When Bokashi pre-compost is added the process usually doubles in speed, although this may change depending on the temperature and composition of your compost heap. Adding Bokashi pre-compost to a compost pile is a great way of making sure that you incorporate all of your food waste into your recycling. Most people who have compost piles at home are unable to make use of the nutrients locked up in forms of food which are difficult to break down. Meat, fish, cooked foods and dairy are usually all sent to landfill. With Bokashi, these nutrients can be put to good use and recycled at home. Bokashi composting is a great way of incorporating these difficult foods into your compost pile.

Once you’ve followed the Bokashi Composting Instructions and recycled your food waste, you’ll be left with a bin full of highly nutritious, fermented organic matter. Some people call this “pre-compost” because it’s not quite ready to be used to feed your plants yet. There are several ways in which you can put this Bokashi pre-compost to use. It can be:

Here we look at how to do the first of these.

Bokashi Pre-Compost Used Directly In The Garden

After coming out of a Bokashi bin once the fermentation process is complete, the Bokashi pre-compost still needs to break down further to fully release all of it’s locked in nutrients. Most of the hard work has already been done and thankfully, because of the effective microorganisms (EM) present in the mixture, the process is quite quick too.

Before using your Bokashi pre-compost in the garden, it’s important to drain off any excess liquid from the mixture. It’s not disastrous if you forget to do this, but too much of Bokashi juice in the soil could result in damage to your plants. Once the liquid has been drained, you’re ready to use the pre-compost in the garden.

The final stage of the process is to bury the Bokashi pre-compost with at least 4 inches of normal garden soil and to leave for around 2-4 weeks to fully decompose. After that time, the waste should be unrecognisable. It will look just like rich, dark, nutritious compost. In some cases, especially at colder temperatures, the pre-compost can take a little longer to fully decompose. If this happens, and you can still distinguish different food scraps, just cover the mixture over again and leave for another week or two.

It’s important to think about where you are going to bury the waste before you start digging, as planting on top of the waste before it has fully broken down could damage your plants. One method is to bury the Bokashi pre-compost in a bed you intend to plant up a few weeks later. Another method is to dedicate an area of the garden to this process, moving the finished compost to your beds or pots once the process is fully complete. Your choice of method will probably depend on the type of garden and amount of space you have available. Both methods are effective, and you will end up with highly nutritious compost.

Once you’ve decided on your location, the process is very simple.

Now, the Bokashi composting process is complete. Your food waste has been transformed into nutritious, moisture retentive, high quality compost.

When the food waste in your Bokashi bin has fermented (you can find instructions on this process here), you will be left with a mixture that is often called “pre-compost”. It’s given this name because the material has begun the process of breaking down, but isn’t quite there yet. There is still a bit more to be done before the material is ready to be used for planting. There are several different options for completing the Bokashi process and transforming your food waste into nutritious compost. Bokashi pre-compost can be:

Keep reading to find out about using a worm composting system to complete the process.

Adding Bokashi Pre-Compost To A Worm Composting System

If you already have a worm composting bin, this can be a really useful way to complete the transformation from food scraps to nutritious compost which has already begun in your Bokashi bin. In fact, a Bokashi composter makes a great addition to a worm composting system. You can use the Bokashi process to prepare foods which cannot normally be used in a worm bin (such as meat, dairy and citrus fruits), ensuring that all of your food waste is recycled at home.

Another advantage of using Bokashi in addition to a worm compost bin is that you can store food waste that is waiting to be added to the worm compost bin without it rotting and smelling bad. A Bokashi / worm bin combination is especially ideal for people living in apartments with limited outdoor space for composting.

Before adding Bokashi pre-compost to a worm bin it is important to drain off any excess Bokashi juice. The juice is acidic and could upset the moisture and pH levels of your worm bin. There are plenty of different ways to use the Bokashi juice, so make sure that you collect and store the drained liquid.

Once the Bokashi pre-compost has been drained, it is ready to be added to your worm composting bin. The important thing to remember is to add the pre-compost little and often. If you add too much Bokashi pre-compost in one go the worms won’t like it very much. However, if you add a little Bokashi at a time the worms will go crazy for it!

So, add a handful or two (I don’t recommend more than two) of Bokashi pre-compost to your worm bin. Add to the top layer, and spread out a little. If the Bokashi pre-compost looks like it contains a lot of moisture, you might want to add some dry bedding (shredded newspaper or something similar) first.

Now all you need to do is stand back and let the worms get to work! You might find that they’re not interested in the Bokashi pre-compost for the first couple of days. Don’t worry, this is normal. After a day or two though, you should see the worms move in and devour the pre-compost.

Once they’ve almost finished the pre-compost in the bin, add another handful or two. Again, spread it out over the surface of the bin, adding dry bedding if required. Before too long, the worms will have made their way through all of the pre-compost from your Bokashi bin.

Using a Bokashi kitchen composter to compliment your worm composting bin is a brilliant way of incorporating difficult foods into the system. This approach is ideal for people short on space, or those who want to complement their existing worm composting systems.