Weekend Gardener 13

composting

EVERY day we produce waste as human beings. This isn’t a new phenomenon, just a little amplified with mass consumption and population growth.

As gardeners, we are constantly looking to improve our soils. We do this with a myriad of options, from making compost, green manures and having worm farms. We might buy in compost from time to time, along with other products such as blood and bone, sheep pellets, other fertilisers or some manure from a local roadside stall.

Originating in Japan, Bokashi buckets are sold and used all over the world. In New Zealand, we have Neville Burt, of ZingBokashi NZ Ltd, to thank for developing this low-cost home composting solution.

Bokashi buckets are a composting system that only uses your leftover food scraps. This includes peelings, after-dinner scrapings, tea bags, coffee grinds, raw/cooked meat and fish – bones ‘n’ all.

The secret to this system is in the Bokashi bran. The bran is inoculated with effective microrganisms, consisting of about 70 different bacteria that can’t wait to get to work on your food scraps. I like to call the Bokashi bran “the magic powder” – all those bacteria working at a microscopic level, it’s magic.

Very simply, this is what you do: 1. Collect your daily food scraps in an ice cream container or caddy of some sort.2. Once a day, open your bucket, put in the food scraps, sprinkle a large pinch of the magic powder. Close lid.3. Repeat step 1 every day. As the bucket fills, use a potato masher or something similar to push down and compact the scraps. Don’t be tempted to open the bucket every time you eat an apple or have a fresh tea bag. This system doesn’t like fresh air; the bacteria are working anaerobically.4. When the bucket is full, give an extra sprinkle of the magic powder. Put it in a warm place and leave for two weeks. Remember to take off the liquid in the bottom bucket every few days (refer to section on liquid uses). When 10 to 14 days are up, here are the options:

1. Dig a hole about the size of the bucket, empty contents into the hole, chop in the soil sides and cover with 10cm of soil. 2. In the middle of winter, we can be less enthusiastic about digging in the garden and sometimes the ground is frozen solid. Create a hole in your compost pile, empty contents into it and cover with 10cm of soil. 3. Glass/tunnel houses are a great place to dig in your bucket contents all winter long. This is a great way to fertilise and freshen up that hungry soil ready for spring.4. Another winter option includes using a black/green compost bin. Empty bucket and fill with equal parts carbon (sawdust/straw/leaves/dry grass). Continue until full. Use when contents have composted.Ideally, you buy two Bokashi units so when one is sitting maturing, you always have another one to fill.

After a couple of weeks, when you open up that first full bucket, don’t expect to see beautiful compost. This is stage one of the Bokashi composting process. The bacteria are busy at work. It is almost as if the contents of the bucket have stopped in time. They’re kind of pickled with a yellow tinge. You may see some fine white strands (mycorrhizal fungi) – this is all good.

A common problem I come across is complaints that nothing happened in the bucket: “It didn’t turn into compost”. The food scraps turn into compost in the ground over a period of about two weeks. You are burying the “compost-to-be” where you want it. You’re not going to go to the effort of digging it up and using it elsewhere.

So, what’s all the fuss, I hear you ask. It’s this introduction of all the microrganisms that is the key to gardening success.

Every time you dig a bucket in, not only are you adding organic matter you are adding diverse bacterial life into your soil. Healthy soil equals healthy plants.

This system isn’t for everyone. If you’re already composting your food scraps successfully, this isn’t necessarily for you. I have friends to whom I give empty buckets; they happily drop the full buckets to my house. Some even want to dig the hole.

Having used a compost bin all winter, here is the finished biologically rich compost. PHOTO: NEVILLE BURT

Ben Elms

Ben Elms provides a how-to guide.

Weekend Gardener14

Cut out or photocopy this fantastic step-by-step guide on how to use your Bokashi bucket. ILLUSTRATION: NEVILLE BURT, ZINGBOKASHI NZ LTD.

Weekend Gardener 15

Top tipsYou can plant vege seedlings directly above the •Bokashi material after two weeks when all that soil life is ready to go. All hail the giant veges.Add a bucket to your compost heap, especially •those slow cold heaps that could do with a kick start. Dig a hole deep into the heap, empty the bucket in and cover well. You can repeat as often as you like.Dig a bucket in next to a tired rose or fruit tree that •needs a pep up.If your bucket doesn’t look and smell so good, dig •in with some extra Bokashi bran, rinse out and start again. Remember to close the lid properly every time you open. This system is anaerobic – it doesn’t like air.When cleaning out your fridge and you find new •life forms growing in the deep depths, do not put these in the Bokashi bucket. The battle of good versus evil bacteria might tip the wrong way.

Liquid usesThe liquid should be taken off every few days from the catcher bucket. If you don’t, you will get a nasty smelly surprise. This liquid is a concentrated biological wonder that needs to be diluted.

Put it in a watering can, fill to the top with water and administer some •biological first aid to your plants, especially the hungry and needy.Create a foliar spray. Dilute 200:1 and spray. I have friends who swear •they’ve never had better tomato plants. Try spraying once a week on any plants/trees that are looking unhealthy. Pour it down your sink holes; it helps keep all those hidden pipes a •little less grimy.For those with a septic tank, flush liquid down the toilet. The bacteria •helps to keep the septic tank humming.

First check with your local council to see if it has the Bokashi buckets subsidised. Many now do. Many Mitre 10 Mega stores are

stockists. You can also buy online at www.zingbokashi.co.nz

“Magic dust” sprinkled and a little compacting with the potato masher under way.’ PHOTO: BEN ELMS

Check out the size of this Bokashi-inspired broccoli. PHOTO: NEVILLE BURT

A great crop of healthy potatoes and plants all grown with the help of Bokashi’s biological goodness. PHOTO: NEVILLE BURT

Dig a hole or trench, empty in the bucket contents and cover with soil. PHOTO: NEVILLE BURT

While in use, keep the Bokashi bucket close: under the sink, in the laundry or at the back door. PHOTO: BEN ELMS

Where to buy Bokashi buckets and the magic powder