Bokashi is compost made by fermentation rather than open rotting. It finishes faster than a normal heap, keeps more nutrients, and can include materials like meat scraps and fresh manure that ordinary composting handles poorly.
You will need
- Kitchen and farm waste: vegetable scraps, crop residue, fresh manure
- A sealed container or a covered pit — air must stay out
- A fermenting agent: effective microorganisms (EM) mixed with molasses and water, or sour milk/whey as a local starter
- Dry carbon material such as bran, sawdust or dry leaves
Steps
- Chop waste into small pieces — fist-sized or smaller.
- Mix in the dry carbon material until the pile is moist but not wet — it should hold together when squeezed without dripping.
- Sprinkle or spray the fermenting agent through the layers as you build.
- Pack tightly to push out air, then seal the container or cover the pit airtight.
- Leave undisturbed for two to four weeks. A sour-sweet, pickled smell means it is working; a rotten smell means air got in.
- Mix the finished bokashi into soil and cover it — it keeps fermenting in the ground and feeds the crop.
Cautions
Keep it airtight at every stage; oxygen is the enemy. Apply finished bokashi about two weeks before planting tender seedlings, and never let fresh, strong bokashi touch roots directly. Follow local extension advice for rates on your soil.