Bokashi – create natural fertilizer from food scraps

In Norway, bokashi kitchen composting is a relatively new way to handle food waste, but in Japan, it has been used for a long time.

The method involves letting microorganisms transform meat, vegetables, and coffee grounds into soil. It all starts in a bucket, where the food waste is mixed with compost bran, which is then left to ferment. Then, the food waste and the liquid are dug down into the soil in the garden. After about two weeks, you have soil that gives you healthier plants and richer harvests in the garden.

Start by getting Bokashi buckets that you place in the kitchen, as well as compost bran in a sealed container. Everything should be stored at room temperature, and it's important to avoid direct sunlight. While one bucket is being filled, the other bucket should remain untouched so that the contents ferment.

1. Sprinkle two tablespoons of compost bran over the drainage mat that is at the bottom of the bucket.
2. Put food scraps in the bucket, and break up larger pieces into smaller ones to shorten the fermentation time.
3. Sprinkle compost bran over each time you add scraps: two tablespoons per liter of food. If you have meat, fish, cheese, and eggs, you can use a little more to speed up fermentation. Feel free to press the contents down well so that the air disappears.
4. The bucket lid should not be opened more than once or twice a day to avoid disturbing the process. A tip is to collect the day's food scraps and fill up once a day. Be sure to close the lid properly so that it is airtight, otherwise the fermentation process will not work.
5. When the bucket is full, set it aside. Avoid direct sunlight. Let the contents post-ferment at room temperature for a few weeks until fermentation is complete, and use the other bucket in the meantime.
6. Drain the Bokashi liquid a couple of times a week so that the fermentation does not get too wet. Bokashi buckets have a drain tap that makes it easier to empty. You can use the liquid from the Bokashi as liquid fertilizer for your plants both indoors and outdoors.
7. After two weeks, the process in the bucket is complete. A thin layer of white mold may appear on the contents, but that is perfectly natural.
8. Dig down the Bokashi bucket contents into the soil in your garden. Cover with at least 10 cm of soil. After about two weeks, the compost has been converted into soil and is ready to be used for cultivation. Then you can plant both vegetables and plants directly in the finished soil, or spread it out in beds, planters, or in the garden.
9. You can also plant directly in the compost. But remember that Bokashi is chemically acidic for the first two weeks. Seeds or small plants can be planted just fine, as they do not have roots that go all the way down to the Bokashi itself at the start.
10. If you do not have the opportunity to bury the contents right away, it does not matter. The finished Bokashi can be stored outside even if it is cold – it can also withstand freezing.
    

TIP! Remember that the finished Bokashi becomes wetter the longer you store it. Empty the tap regularly or add biochar to the buckets. You can also use newspaper or egg cartons to keep the liquid balance in the bucket at an even level.

In winter, it can be difficult to dig down the bokashi. Then you can do it in other ways:

• Store the bokashi outdoors in airtight storage, for example, in buckets with lids. It doesn't matter if the bokashi freezes.
• Mix bokashi and leaves in a barrel, tub, or plastic box with a lid and store it outdoors. Soil will not be produced until it gets warm.
• Mix the bokashi with soil directly in frost-resistant pots outdoors and let it stand until spring comes.

Do you have soil that has become nutrient-poor, for example from pots, summer flowers, or planters? Then you can reuse it by mixing in bokashi. That way, you don't need to replace the soil.

You can, for example, mix bokashi directly into the pots, at least a couple of weeks before you plan to plant. Then the acidity of the soil will have time to normalize. Acid-loving plants, such as rhododendrons, thrive in bokashi, which is always acidic, that is to say that it has a low pH value.

The bokashi liquid that forms can be used as liquid fertilizer for your plants, both indoors and outdoors. The liquid smells sour, but the smell disappears quickly after you have watered. The liquid can be stored for about a week in the refrigerator.

Remember to dilute the liquid with a mixing ratio of 1:100. In other words, a five-liter watering can should have a dose of just under 50 ml of bokashi liquid to avoid damaging sensitive plants when watering. For the more sensitive plants, you can dilute the liquid with a mixing ratio of 1:1000.

1. By recycling your food waste, you take care of the environment and help your garden plants become stronger.
   
2. Carbon dioxide and nitrogen are bound in the soil instead of becoming greenhouse gas emissions.
   
3. Bokashi is an effective way to transform your food scraps into nutrient-rich soil.

Matavfall består blant annet av proteiner, cellulose, stivelse og fett. Mikroorganismene i bokashistrøet samarbeider med det organiske avfallet, som avgir næring og finfordeler avfallet. Matrestene gjæres i stedet for å råtne. 

Når mikroorganismene har fått jobbe ferdig inne, så graves innholdet i bøtta ned i jorden. Da vil jordbakterier og andre mikroorganismer ta over, og sammen med meitemarkene omdanner de materialet til jord. 

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