Southern Oregon Bokashi bucket composting system in worm bins:

 

 

The answer is an enthusiastic YES! This is a great solution for apartment dwellers or those of you who (for one reason or another) can't or don't want to compost food scraps outdoors.

The fermented contents of the Bokashi bucket are a great addition to a worm bin, even if you've put dairy, meat, or bones into the bucket. By the time it's all fermented (which takes approximately two weeks after the bucket is completely full) it breaks down much easier.

Here are a few tips for making this work:

• Add a little bit of Bokashi compost at a time. Try adding approximately two cups of Bokashi, burying it in the bedding, and see what happens.

• When you add the Bokashi, your worms may seem to avoid the area for a day or two. Leave them alone; they'll come around!

• Once they do start working on the Bokashi, they'll devour it pretty quickly. Once the worms have eaten most of the first "serving" of Bokashi, put another two cups of it in another area of the worm bin. They'll find it and take care of it in no time!

• If you want to keep your indoor composting system working at full speed, I recommend getting two Bokashi buckets and possibly two worm bins. This way, neither system will be overburdened, and you can keep adding food to one Bokashi bucket while you're emptying out the other into your worm bin. You can also continue giving your worms fresh kitchen scraps during this time -- they'll probably appreciate the variety.

 

 

Plastic wormery with a tap:

 

Materials that you will need:

·        A plastic container with a lid

·        Sand or gravel

·        Bedding material for the worms, shredded newspaper or a coir block

·        A plastic tap

·        Weed free membrane

·        Wooden slats

·        Damp newspaper

·        Composting worms

 

What to do:

·        Make sure the container has been properly cleaned out

·        Drill a hole for the tap in the bin, about 5 to 10 cm from the bottom and insert the tap

·        Cover the inside of the tap with the weed free membrane to stop the tap becoming blocked

·        Drill holes, a couple of millimetres diameter, into the lid and around the sides of the container

·        Cover the holes on the inside with the weed free membrane

·        Put 5 to 10 cm of sand or gravel in the bottom of the bin

·        Place the wooden slats on top of the sand or gravel

·        Place about 10 to 15cm 0f damp bedding material for the worms on top of the slats

·        Add the worms to the bedding material

·        Feed the worms small amounts of chopped up food

·        Bury the food waste in the bedding

·        Cover the food with damp shredded paper or damp newspaper, this helps keep flies out and provides a carbon source for the worms

·        When you lift the lid if you can see worms on the surface or in amongst the food waste then the worms are ready to be fed again

·        Feed the worms in a different area

·        Once a week check to see if there is any liquid to drain through the tap

·        Dilute the liquid 1:10 with water and use as a liquid plant feed

·        When the wormery is about ¾ full leave it for about 2 weeks to give the worms time to move up into the food

·         Lift out the top 6 inches of contents and set aside. This will contain partly broken down food and most of the worms

·        Empty the worm casts from the container

·        Put some damp paper in the bottom of the wormery and replace the contents you had set aside

·        Repeat the process

 

 

Bokashi Composting Buckets-

 

At home, I use a standard 5 gallon food grade bucket with a Gamma Lid to compost my kitchen scraps.  It's super easy to do in a small space and if done correctly, your kitchen composting will not smell and break down much faster than traditional cold composting.  

 

Materials:

2 (or more) x 5 gallon buckets with Gamma Lids

Southern Oregon's Dry Bokashi