Bokashi is used primarily in small batch composting and as a general soil amendment.
Bokashi composting is well suited for apartment or balcony settings. Kitchen scraps are fermented in a sealed bucket with the help of bran infused with EM (effective microorganisms).
Because the scraps are essentially pickled, there is neither odour nor insects, and virtually no limit to what can go in the bucket: you can compost all vegetable and fruit materials including citrus, as well as raw or cooked food, and even dairy, fish, meat, and bones.
Get a plastic bucket with a tight fitting lid and some EM infused bokashi bran. Layer bran and food wastes until the bucket is full, then let this sit for a couple of weeks with the lid on tight. Voila, the wastes have been pre-digested by the EM and are ready for their final resting spot in the earth.
Then what? The fermented material can be buried in the garden and will continue to decompose underground, while creating a nutritious depot of organic matter in the soil. You can plant the spot as early as two weeks later.
Other uses for bokashi
Bokashi can be used to activate compost (mix one pound bokashi bran into a quarter yard of organic matter and keep covered). It can also be dug into the soil at a rate of one pound per 200 square feet, or be used to topdress lawns and gardens. Last, but not least, bokashi can be fed to livestock at a rate of 3-5% of their feed rations.
