What should you do with your bokashi bin contents if you lack a large garden to dig them into? As mentioned in the previous Bokashi Composting article, you can always add the processed bokashi food waste to your compost bin or worm farm (gradually, to help the worms adapt!). But what if you don’t have access to either? Luckily, you can transform your bokashi bin contents into dark, nutrient-rich soil in just a few weeks using a simple DIY device called a Bokashi Soil Generator. Despite its fancy name, the process is surprisingly simple, and the equipment is easy to find anywhere.
Remember that fermented bokashi can’t be stored long-term in its finished form. However, once it’s converted into bokashi soil, it can be stored and used as a planting mix or soil amendment. You can incorporate it into pots or garden soil, just like compost – either by digging it into planting holes or mixing it into the soil around existing plants.
Building a Bokashi Soil Generator
To build a Bokashi Soil Generator, you will need the following materials:
- Any large container with drain holes or without a bottom to use as the soil generator – a 40-50cm wide plastic pot is ideal.
(In terms of size, choose a container large enough to contain your bokashi contents and a similar volume of soil) - A lid or cover for your container (does not need to be airtight or a good fit)
- Your completed bokashi container contents
- Garden soil (or used potting medium/potting mix that you wish to recycle)
- Compost (optional)
The construction steps are as easy as filling a pot with dirt!
Step 1: Set Up Your Container
Select a container with drainage holes or one without a bottom to use as the soil generator – any recycled container will do.
Place the soil generator container over a garden bed or path so any liquids can drain into the soil.
Step 2: Gather Your Compost
Next, gather some compost by scooping it from your compost bin or heap. Compost is optional, but it helps by introducing beneficial microbes that speed the transformation into soil. If you don’t have compost, use soil or recycled potting mix instead.
Step 3: Fill the Container One-Third Full
Pour the compost (or soil or recycled potting mix) into the container until it is about 1/3 full.
Step 4: Add the Bokashi Contents
Empty the processed bokashi food waste into the container.
Step 5: Mix the Materials (Optional)
Mix the materials together if you want to produce bokashi soil in around 4 weeks. Alternatively, if you prefer not to mix and want to produce bokashi soil in around 12 weeks, leave it alone and proceed to the next step.
Step 6: Cover with Soil
Pour garden soil (or recycled potting mix) over the bokashi contents (mixed or unmixed) to cover them. This creates a ‘sandwich’ of three layers: compost (or soil or recycled potting mix) at the bottom of the container, the bokashi contents in the middle, and soil (or recycled potting mix) on top.
Step 7: Cover and Wait
Cover the container with a lid or cover to stop it drying out in warm weather or flooding in wet weather. The lid or cover can be loose-fitting and does not need to be airtight. Even a piece of board will suffice. Now let it sit for four weeks if mixed, or twelve weeks if unmixed, and let the microbes do their work. That’s basically it!!
The Results: What Bokashi Soil Looks Like
Step 8: Check and Confirm Completion
Completed, well maybe…
A quick check shows there are still some visible ingredients. Leave for a bit longer…
Truly complete. The final product is a rich, dark bokashi soil where the original materials are no longer identifiable. The surface debris consists of wind-blown particles and tiny seedlings sprouting from seeds brought in by the wind, indicating the soil is fertile enough to support seed growth.)
Using a bokashi soil generator, you can process bokashi-fermented food waste to convert it into soil that is ready to use in your garden or for container plants, making it ideal for people with small gardens.
Even for those with gardens who can’t be bothered digging (like me, a no-dig gardener), this is a great way to produce rich organic matter to incorporate into your garden and improve your soil. A no-dig gardener applies fertilizer and soil amendments like bokashi soil, compost, or worm castings to the top of garden beds at the beginning of spring and autumn. Then, they cover everything with a thick layer of mulch. That’s all the soil work needed for the following season’s gardening!
References:
Adam Footer – “Bokashi Composting; Scraps to Soil in Weeks”, New Society Publishers, 2014.