Bukashi system

[Sue Wass]

has anyone any experience of this system of composting?
It all sounds excellent, but I often find that these sorts of things are gimmicks and actually don't stand up to the claims made, and at £50+ for two "buckets" if it doesn't work then it's been a very expensive experiment (for me at least)

Can you really put any food products in them? even cooked proteins (meat)

[Two_Sheds]

Have a go with your Search button Sue. There are 24 older threads about bokashi, here: Grow Your Own - bokashi threads

[BarleySugar]

Also check the recyclenow website, they may be doing a 'special offer' depending on you council. Mine (Kent), have just started another one, 2 bins for £35, but it does depend where you live. I've been doing it a year now, found it pretty good. Like Two_Sheds says, there is a lot of discussion on problems and benefits, and typing in bokashi should find them. (Check spelling )

[Sweepster]

I've just got two bokashi bins on freecycle, and am planning to order some of the bran from wigglywigglers. My attempts at composting are rather sporadic and disorganised, though I've got a wormery which has produced some semi-digested 'guff' for underneath my runner beans. The bokashi system sounds dauntingly clever

[Alison]

A wormery shouldn't produce a semi digested product, it should be rich and dark and uniform. The bokashi product is not even half finished looking but does decay very quickly when buried and attracts hundreds of worms.

[JimmerG]

Sue,

I'm a recent Bokashi convert, and find the whole system utterly marvelous - we now compost EVERYTHING from the kitchen except bones. We spend 2 weeks filling one bucket - then it gets left for 2 weeks whilst we fill the other, then the first one goes on the compost heap, and seems to rot down very quickly indeed.

Its been a real success - we used to have to fill kitchen waste bins for the council - these attracted maggots in the summer, and smelt horrendous. Now its all sealed in a bokashi bin and fermented. It does smell a bit odd, but only when you draw off the fluid - once a week maybe.

They do seem a little expensive - it is after all an airtight bucket with a tap and a false floor. But the bran does last a long time - we got a 1kg bag at Christmas and there's still at least a quarter left.

But for all the gorgeous compost you get and not having rotting food lying around in open bins - its very well worth it!

Everyone should be doing it!!

J

[amandaandherveg]

I ordered a new compost bin at the weekend for my elderly neighbour (I grow veg in her garden keeping it tidy) and noticed that our council are doing 2 Bokashi Bins plus bran, etc for £25. Where are you based?

[Sweepster]

A wormery shouldn't produce a semi digested product, it should be rich and dark and uniform.

I know
At one point the rain got in and I think a lot of the worms might've drowned

If this bokashi malarkey works out, I'll probably convert the wormery into another water butt or something. Or put fish in it.

[mico]

found 1kg bokashi on ebay £6 delivered good stuff

[rogesse]

My composting can be a bit hap hazard as well so this thread has got me all excited! I've just checked and our council does 2 bins plus bran for £38

[Pickle]

We use this system and while it doesn't completely compost down int he 2 weeks like it suggests it has certainly helped to speed up proceeding in our big compost bin. Good job too because it was about as full as you could get it! Now getting some lovely compost out of the bottom of it