Bokashi Bucket Single Bucket Method with Indoor Soil Factory

After a rough second try adding Bokashi to my worm bins I thought I would try a soil factory method Instead. I also switched from a dual bucket system to a single bucket method with carbon (paper/pellets) to absorb moisture.
Last instead of doing multiple videos this time I decided to do a single video from beginning to end showing the process and how it turned out.
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[@WorldComposting]

Overall I was pretty impressed with how well Bokashi and soil factory worked. I might start incorporating this into my normal routine for when we have a lot of scraps that I wasn't prepared for. The single bucket method is the way to go as well!

[@mangaladeviparakkat1979]

8

[@cowboyblacksmith]

A far far far cheaper way of bokashi is to skip the bran entirely. I ferment my rice water wash for a few days, add 10% of that to 90% milk and let sit for a few days, then strain the whey. That's your "LABS" (LACTO BASCILLUS bacteria). I put that in a plastic bottle with holes poked in the lid stored in the fridge and spritz my scraps with it, been doing that for years perfectly! Making your own bran inoculant is expensive, and buying it even worse. My LAB inoculant only costs me the price of a half gallon of milk and lasts months. Lots of KZbin videos on making LAB, and using it as a liquid works 100% and is so cheaply done.

[@olga8164]

Cowboyblacksmith, after you sprayed your food scraps with lactobacteria, do you keep it airtight or in a compost bin? Do you turn it occasionally or leave it sit? Thank you

[@Elementtreecompany]

Thank you for posting your composting projects and sharing your experimentation with all of us. I really appreciate your thoroughness and care in thinking through your systems and articulating that to your audience. I've been running similar tests with composting and bokashi, and found your insight, concerns, and questions from this video align the same thoughts that have emerged from my informal investigations. I recognize this video is from ten months ago and my suggestions below may be relevant at this point but a few observations I had from this video that may be of some help to your bokashi precomposting and soil factory in the future: -No spigot buckets are easy no fuss, but it does add the variable of playing with bulking/absorbing material ratios in bucket (wood pellets). Layering the pellets/shredded paper with the bokashi bran as you made additions could have helped more, particularly at the end--top of the bucket before sealing for two week rest period adding bokashi bran and damp wood shavings on top will do the trick. Because here is the thing I've discovered with the no spigot buckets: in an attempt to absorb moisture people don't add enough moisture to allow the anaerobic fermentation to really fire on all cylinders in the bucket because the moisture gets locked up in the wood pellets. Something to look for is moisture on the lid when you open it, I like to see a little condensation on the top of the inner part of the lid, not so wet that beads pour off when opened but I want to see some condensation. -Freezing the your food scraps is a great way to help the cell walls of food waste to break down but I would caution adding the frozen food waste to the system still frozen--the temp swings and freezing melting water without a doubt is affecting the production efficiency of the acid microbes in the bucket. Suggest taking the food scraps out of freezer at night before bed and in the morning put into system--and also, mix the bran with the food scraps before adding to the bucket instead of just layering on top of waste, that way its more homogenized for faster pickling. -bokashi, like all composting, always works best when feedstock is broken down/chopped to small particle size--We all know this. So chopping up those peels and cores and seeds more will do the trick. Avocado pits are silly easy to half or quarter with a chef's knife: place on a towel on the cutting board and it won't fly around or put it in food processor. Actually if you can food processor everything first your bokashi bucket will run so efficiently it will be shocking even to compost nerds like us. -Bones. You nailed it when you said maybe you need to cut/chop into them first. Here are the options that make the most sense for most home bokashi composters from my perspective of testing: Have one bucket only dedicated to bones, when it finally fills (it may take months) let it sit fermenting for as long as you can (1-6months) and the acid of the pickling will make the bones breakdown more in soil factory. But still need to chop/break into bones. Chopping bones is difficult for most people in most circumstances, I get that, but if you steep the bones in a crockpot/ pressure cook in instant to make value-added products for your home then you save money of things like broth/stock and you turn the bones to a mush that can be blended/food processed then added to bucket--this will take care of your bone composting issue, as I've done this. Can also roast bones for extended time which makes them brittle enough to break with back of knife or food processor (great way to make homemade bone meal). I think if we are all going to process bones at our homes into compost/renewable resource recovery then we need to also be extracting more value out of our bones in the kitchen. Single use plastic is a no go in our kitchen and so is single use bones, haha--let me explain: At our house we keep a bone scrap container in the freezer that we load all our bone pieces (we have one of just chicken bones and one of mixed animal bones), and when the scrap container is filled we toss all of it into an instant pot or crock pot until the bones turn to mush. Family not a fan of bone broth/stocks/soups/stews from post-consumer bones? Then feed strained broth to pets, like dogs and cats. Family doesn't have pets?--cook the bones down into mush, blend the broth liquid with the mushy bones to create an amazing edible gravy that you can save for human consumption or it works wonders in firing up a compost heap or feeding to a cockroach or bsfl system. -You use a ton of bran. You mention why and I get it, but outside of experimentation using that much bran is unsustainable for everyone. I really love bokashi composting but really hate the idea of having to purchase a product/pay more money to just process my own food waste stream onsite. Bokashi bran is lovely and all but once you have the anaerobic acid microbes in your system you can use them in you next system without having to purchase more bran every time. I don't use bran anymore, instead I've inoculated shredded waste paper/wood shavings (even homemade biochar--its magical) with the microbes so no more bran purchasing--with food waste there is enough carbohydrates for the microbes to go crazy without the bran. The reason your em bran didn't take care of all the smell (and probably why you had green/black mold form) is because you layered it with food waste that wasn't chopped up enough so the em microbes weren't getting inside the bones/feedstock before oxidation/rancidity/competing microbes. This is also an argument for the spigot bucket (not a bucket inside a bucket, that attracts bugs and leaks smells, as you found), because the leachate that one taps from the spigot is basically liquid bokashi bran and can be used to start a new bucket faster, but also can be used to pour over the top of another finishing bucket so that those liquid leachate microbes gravity inoculate everything in that new bucket--it works like a dream. A 5 gallon bucket usually yields about .5 gallon of leachate . . . that leachate is loaded with liquid em. -Indoor Soil Factory: They don't usually heat up into thermophilic ranges. The finished soil and compost is your biofilter and why it contains no smell, but like the pre-composting in the bucket the whole process goes so much easily and faster if you mix the pre-compost food waste with the soil first, homogenize it (one part pre-composted food waste to one part finished compost/soil)--then after it is mixed, add a 2-3inch layer of finished casting/compost on the top as biofilter then let it sit uncovered . . . it needs air and the lid hinders that more then helps contain the moisture--in fact too much moisture in the soil factory can slow the process as much as too little moisture. I'm concerned about the actual retention time your bokashi waste took in the soil factory, because on the scale of a family that might be producing a 5 gallon bucket of waste every 1-2 weeks . . . then taking 75 days in a soil factory doesn't add up in space (you'd probably need 4 of those 55 gallon totes going at all times with soil breakdown and most people interested in bokashi don't have that space or compost nerd dedication like us). So mixing everything up will speed it up and make it more feasible for more people. -Feeding pre-compost to something else? You mentioned failing at feeding the pre compost bokashi to worms, it will work if not added directly or if you add oyster shell/dolomitic lime to the pre compost to raise the Ph to a more neutral place for worms. But you know what loves bokashi instantly? BSFL. You can literally feed the whole bucket of bokashi pre compost to a bsfl bin and if you get your bsfl to feed ratio right they will eat the whole bucket in a day or two-mix grub bedding to absorb frass liquid if you want. Why not just add the food waste direct to bsfl?--You can, of course, I'm just brainstorming with all of you different ways to use the pre-compost. Lastly, your bags of chopped lettuce that go bad unexpectedly after a day or two of opening . . . we had the same problem for a long time before we solved it. The greens in those bags/containers are triple washed and dried, basically you can think of the inside of the bag as sanitized. But most people when they make smoothies or salads with the greens put their hands in the bag and grab their desired amount, those hands are often damp or just have everyday microbes on them, so those hands reaching into the bag are spoiling your bags of lettuce. We solved this at our house in two ways, instead of opening each container of greens individually and grabbing serving with hand we open all containers at once on the counter, and secondly we have a pair of tongs that use for the bags and we all agree to not put hands into bags of cleaned/dried lettuce. We haven't had a bag of cut greens spoil since. We also just try not to buy produce wrapped and shipped in plastic, too. Really appreciate the work you are doing and your channel. Thank you for sharing. Kindly.

[@everseeking60]

Wow...amazing useful tips...im just getting into bokashi and these tips are just the best..i feel better equiped. Thank you for sharing

[@lauracarrier6158]

You are genius with your advice about the salad greens! I have always complained that they go bad so fast, but we do absolutely grab what we want with our hands.

[@another8125]

amazing comment! Can tell you really know your stuff.

[@shaulgrantz9077]

When I did my bokashi experiment 10 years ago I created my own bokashi buckets from 5 gallon pails with a separation filter several inches from the bottom and a spigot to drain off any liquid. The buckets worked great. The food waste was added in fresh (not frozen) with each layer covered with a sprinkling of bran. Bokashi works anaerobically (with out air). That means literally forcing all the air out of the mix. To that end, I covered the food waste with a piece of plastic tucked in on all sides. On top of that I placed a plastic flowerpot base that was fitted to the size of the bucket so that it could easily move downwards and inside of that I placed a 5 kg (11 lb) flat barbell weight that was sealed in plastic to prevent the highly acidic bokashi from interacting with the metal and leaching into the food waste. This way the bokashi was constantly being pressed, forcing any liquid downwards into the collection area below from which it was drained out through the spigot at the bottom. This process worked very well and the only smell coming from the food waste was that of sour pickles. Well the end of the process is burying it in the ground for a month during which the soil bacteria and insects etc work their magic and then it's supposedly ready to plant in, but seeing as how I lived in an apartment building with no possibility of burying it in the ground I had to find a different method. This was also years before I learned of the option of using a large plastic container with soil and burying the bokashi in the soil for a month. So I thought that since I had a large wormbin with about 1,000 redworms as well as the soil bacteria and insects already in it, that I could try processing it that way. I took a couple handfuls of the fresh finished bokashi (before the end process) and buried it in one corner of the bin

[@shaulgrantz9077]

(continuing from previous) to see what would happen. Initially the worms were all over it but over the next few weeks I began to see fewer and fewer worms until by the end of a month, I could find none at all. I took the remaining bokashi food waste and sealed it up in 5 gallon buckets and put them in storage. 6 years later I opened them up to check; the chicken, vegetables, etc looked exactly like it did 6 years previous and smelled like sour pickles. I had an acquaintance with a garden who offered to complete the process by burying the bokashi in the ground for a month and then planting in it. Unfortunately he turned out to be less serious than I had hoped and in the end just dumped the bokashi onto his compost pile. So much for my Bokashi experience. Been there. Done that. Never, ever planning to go back there again. But again, that's just me. Each person should do what works best for them.

[@ZoubidaPA]

The principle of indoor soil factory is sound. It's an excellent idea. But... Too much air in your bokashi bucket, since you put frozen scraps in there, and a super thick layer of it too. Frozen solid scraps piled high allow for plenty of air pockets, no matter how strongly you step on them - Air is a no-no in brining or pickling, which is what bokashi is, basically. On top of that multitudes of air pockets, the thickness of the layers before you add the bran can pose a problem, since the bran is in contact with a rather small surface area of the scraps. That and the piling high of scraps... Well, of course it'll tend to smell bad. You have gamma lids, easy to open and close, so no need to freeze your scraps. Just add to the bucket as you generate them. Not too thickly before sprinkling the bran. Try adding your scraps in 2 or 3 additions if you have a lot at a time, with a sprinkling of bran in between each layer. By the way, bone or no bone, you could have gotten away with half the amount of bran you used.

[@elizabethblane201]

If you're really intent on getting rid of the bones, I suggest this: make bone broth by pressure cooking the bones for one hour (put 1 T of vinegar in with them). Save the broth for soup. Strain out the bones. By now they will crumble in your hands as most of the minerals will now be in the broth.

[@WorldComposting]

I have made broth in the past but haven't tried adding those bones to Bokashi only added them to my worm bins. I'll try that next time!

[@laneeacannon1450]

The best thing to do with bones after making stock is to char them then soak in vinegar to ferment. Then you have concentrated water soluble calcium & phosphorus.

[@Gokotai]

@@WorldComposting I tend to dry out my bones, then crush them down in a food processor with my egg shells etc, into smaller bits. This makes them trivial for the composting system to deal with!

[@WorldComposting]

While true it can still be better than loading up a landfill that releases methane. If the power used is from green methods it also helps.

[@elizabethblane201]

@@jomsies If you're making broth anyway, there's no extra carbon released. You drink the broth and it nourishes you. The crumbled bones are just an extra by-product benefit.

[@MissSummerGirlie]

To get rid of air pockets I just think you need to chop everything before putting it in. I’ve heard recommendations of smaller than 2 inch cubes!

[@MminaMaclang]

With the chicken bones and shellfish, what really worked for me was just boiling them clean and then baking them dry, then crushing them to bits and even blitzing them to powder. That worked wonders in both making sure there wasnt any odor, and making it extra, extra easy for the microbes to just chow down on them. I feel like even worms wouldnt mind eating through powdered bones in their bedding? At the very least it could add organic matter and porosity to the soil if it refuses to add calcium and phosphorous to it. I think my next advice would be to not use bokashi bran? The point of bokashi is that it takes the microbial activity from bran, right, but it was developed in a country where bran is a large thing. Maybe just use some soil soaked in EMAS, or spray EMAS or some other microbial inocculant into your bokashi bucket? I ended up trying the probiotic lactobacillus capsules I drink for myself, adding that into water and it worked great. I then tried to populate that lactobacillus in a jar with blended apples and rice and some sugar to feed it, let it ferment for 3 days like you would do a DIY Yogurt recipe, and then added that to the soil. My compost bin has no smell. I would bet that if you dont have probiotic capsules, you could probably get like a couple spoonfuls of yogurt, add it into a jar of water and pureed starches like rice or sweet potato or some sugar or molasses. Two or three days youll have enough to add to your soil or your bokashi. Try looking up JADAM?

[@WorldComposting]

Thanks for the advice! I have thought about making my own microbial mix but wanted to test this out first to see if it works. I have a couple videos on how to prepare material for the microbes but I've never heard of using probiotic capsules. I'll have to look into that some more!

[@MminaMaclang]

@@WorldComposting It was also something I just tried for myself, seeing as I dont have a big yard but just composting from a tiny apartment, and I had some capsules on hand that I personally drink! I saw some videos on making your own lactobacillus culture for liquid foliar sprays, and using JADAM to make liquid microbial inocculats that can be used for composting too. And I know how to make yogurt, I know how to make kimchi, I felt the processes were very very similar so I kinda just tried it out and it worked! Hope you find something that works for you, because Im really looking forward to seeing your videos.

[@laneeacannon1450]

@@MminaMaclang Did you make LAB the KNF way yet? (Rice water & milk) I did a couple times. I have some in the fridge now. Really easy. I also made WCAP & FAA. I'll be making JLF, IMO & JMO in the spring.

[@elizabethblane201]

In my years of gardening I learned to not put certain things in my compost piles, because I really didn't like finding them intact 10 years later in my garden.

[@simonb5670]

😂

[@chefdavidsantos]

ok im coming at this from a chef perspective. I do a ton of fermenting and some of that is done with bran in a nuka bed. But anyway here are a couple observations that i think would help. Obviously do and explore as you do because i think we all enjoy it. Materials obviously ferment at different rates. So when i do nuka, cucumbers take 24 hours and say carrots take a week. Depending on how strong the environment you are in. So bones unless they are broken down like a lot wont fall apart in that time frame. To me you have two options. You run two buckets, one for bone and shell that will take much longer, the other with the rest. Or and i think this is a better option is simmer your bones for many hours. For example when we make veal stock giant veal bones turn to crumble after 48 hours of low cooking. Chicken bones would do that in probably 6-8 at gentle heat. Feel free to hit me up if you want to chat at greater detail on that. But like you said before its basically the same as making bone broth. Also and i think this will help the process in general, air is your enemy in this process. That bucket setup is money but take it a step further and treat it like a kimchi or miso ferment. Place that flat board and then a weight on top. You can use a large flat rock that fits or i actually use like a weight plate from a bench press since its flat. This will push any of the trapped air you have in the nooks and create more fermentation contact which will actually help the process quicken. So after 2 weeks in the bucket after you place the last item it should be much further along then what you are seeing now. Again this is totally a chef perspective but fermentation follows the same rules usually no matter what you are making! I have fermented sardines to make fish sauce in my nyc apartment with zero smells is all im saying! HAHA Appreciate the channel and all the information you have given us. Keep doing it up brother.

[@WorldComposting]

These bones went into the freezer right after eating. I actually have bones I ran through the pressure cooker for 1 hour that I'm going to test out. Unfortunately the bone broth smelled horrible and I ended up throwing it out. Not sure what caused it but I'm going to keep trying. I think also for my next test at Bokashi I'm going to grind everything in my 3D printed shredder. I've been able to put bones through it as well so everything will be in much smaller pieces.

[@chefdavidsantos]

@@WorldComposting oh thats interesting. Thats totally worth a try right there. I still think the bone material wont break down completely, it will just be small pieces of bone. I mean think about how long fossils are under ground or animals are frozen in ice. I know its not the same or anything i just mean the material itself is super durable. Like when i add thick kale stems to my kimchi that takes a month to 3 to break down those fibers while everything else around it is done in a week. Yeah you arent gonna make good bone broth from cooked frozen bones. Especially if they sit in the freezer for a long while as cooked foods absorb way more fridge and freezer smells and tastes than raw foods. But honestly you could pour that broth into the garden or yard. That liquid is going to have minerals and stuff in it that will still benefit the garden in my opinion. So you wont be wasting anything per se.

[@lawrencenelson9426]

Excellent information. Any idea how many nutrients would be leached out of the bone and into the broth. My only concern is that this process would make the bones less potent and I would want those for slow, slow, slow release.

[@chefdavidsantos]

@@lawrencenelson9426 I’m not sure what the actual loss would be personally. I mean there is definitely one as the reason you make stock or bone broth is to get things from the bone into the water. But it’s never fully transferred so there will be good things left behind.

[@winfly886]

I love your ideas for bokashi soil. I used the rice water make EM water. I pour in my bucket of compost scraps. Put lots of soil on the top. I love you used the big container with lid. I used the high pressure cook the big bones for hour. The bones became soft. I baked Crab and shrimp shells. After its be very crispy and easy make small……. Thank you for sharing! Lots of good information!

[@WorldComposting]

I have found a lot of recepies for using rice water to make the bacteria necessary for Bokashi and I'm just worried about where I could do it without getting in trouble with my wife. If it attracts bugs or smells I'm going to hear about it!

[@boomdagreatred4070]

i learned more from the comments than from your video.

[@together9133]

ditto!

[@redshedllc9054]

Awesome thanks man !! Just threw out my first failed bucket !! So this helps !!!I was told to basically cover the layers with bokashi bran . Use much more then you think you should ! Thank you

[@WorldComposting]

Glad it helped! I buried my first batch then threw away the bucket due to the smell. I started using more bran and making sure that the bucket was air tight and that seemed to help a lot!

[@simonb5670]

Questo video è pura disinformazione..,😉

[@Oktopia]

I use biochar in the bottom of my bokashi buckets. Takes care of both liquids and smell, I find. I have the single bucket with a draining rack in the bottom though. I drain the liquid as soon as I hear it when I shake the bucket. I dilute it to use it in my garden.

[@WorldComposting]

You are right I recently started adding biochar to my bokashi buckets. It should help with the microbial content as well.

[@Situayo]

Great video. Liked to see how things evolve over time and use in my own project. Subbed

[@WorldComposting]

Glad this helped! Thanks for watching!

[@chickentender4037]

I read that ymif there was black or green mold that you had to throw out the compost, but obviously your bokashi compost worked. I've just received my order, can't wait to try it.

[@Bolletjehopla47]

You are really working hard for your Bokashi! I have been Bokashi-ing our kitchen scraps for over two years now. I am always trying to get away with using as little of whatever is costing me money so I haven't been using a lot of EM bran. But the Bokashi never turns bad on me. Using too little bran does slow down the process, but it still works. Two official bokashi buckets wasn't enough for us so I now also use regular buckets without holes in them. I do put in some fresh wood chips at the bottom or cardboard pieces. Works ike a charm! I hope you will be able to streamline the process....will take less time and effort.

[@WorldComposting]

I primarily do worm composting so I don't use the bokashi bucket often but I'm trying to incorporate it more and more as it can handle some material the worms can't.

[@peterpiper5300]

Is it necessary to compact /pack down the waste? What happens if you don't compact the waste /food?

[@jennyrintakoski4914]

@@peterpiper5300 Yes, you need to get rid of air pockets! Otherwise it will go bad!

[@peterpiper5300]

@@jennyrintakoski4914 go bad as in smell bad or not work at all?

[@maggiescalf5312]

I’m sure one of the comments mentions this, but I’m not going to read all of them! I would definitely use all those bones to make some broth first. Usually after just one batch, the bones can be easily broken but if not you could make a second or third batch until they break easily. Then try to bokashi compost them. Love the soul factory idea! I came to this video because I want usable compost that I don’t have to bury in my precious bed space. Love the idea of using it in a soil factory using worm castings! I’ll have to give this a try.

[@maggiescalf5312]

Soil. Not soul 🤣

[@WorldComposting]

I do sometimes make bone broth but typically only with chickens/turkeys I actually cook at home. The bones from this were from chicken wings from a local place and when I tried making broth it tasted terrible. I might still do that but just let it cool and pour it outside. As far as the soil factory you don't need to use worm castings it can be regular soil as well. I just happen to have worm farms and this is where I store the castings before adding them outside. I like the idea of a variety of nutrients/microbes are in the soil/castings before adding it to my garden, yard, or trees.

[@stanleymcrae5952]

Fill the bottom quarter to 2/3 with torn up or shredded cardboard. Then add a layer of cardboard on top of every food addition. This will help with moisture control.

[@9catlover]

I put mine outside in a big raised bed i made. this is great. i never tested the temperature but i might do that now. And i avoid bones...but i do put fish bones. never tried crabs and lobster but i might try that next time. This has been really helpful thank you.

[@WorldComposting]

Glad you enjoyed I have added it outside even when the Bokashi didn't work right and it disappears into the soil within a month which is amazing! Digging in the winter is a bit tough here so I really wanted to try something inside.

[@TheRealKoyKO]

So for the bones I would bake the bones to dehydrate them and then use a grinder or a blender to turn those bones to dust. I also recommend adding some charcoal at the bottom of the bokashi bucket. The charcoal is going to absorb all the nutrients and liquid and microbes. I think you did a great job all in all. I do however feel like every time you open the container before its time it stalls the process and drags it out which is why everything isn't quite broken down. Also if you do the composting rule i would say just add a bit more soil and probably some carbon to get the soil breaking down. Anywhere from 70 to 90 degrees should have lots of happy healthy microbes. I want to do something similar but i think i would probably make my only lactobacillus

[@VKRollins]

I appreciate you sharing your experiences with Bokashi. A suggestion regarding the bones is to make bone broth using vinegar and then add those bones to the bokashi. You get the benefits of bone broth and the bones become rather fragile, easy to break down.

[@rajendralamichhane4064]

Very nice video. A practical alternative to utilize food waste that is not processed through vermicomposting. Odour management is probably the strong point of bokashi composting.

[@WorldComposting]

When it works it is terrific. My goal is to vermicompost most food and anything I can't will go into Bokashi. Still not there 100% yet but I'm getting better at it.

[@GreenTent-hp8tg]

I really appreciate this real life example of the Bokashi method. I am going to just stick with my regular compost bin, because this method is way too time-consuming for me due to the fact that we don't generate much green waste. Keep up the good work though.

[@Superlife1369]

Just use a smaller bucket 🪣

[@3bouldersurban653]

You can add your leftovers cooked food to it. Not only veggies or green waste.

[@dulce0403]

I just added a 2-3 will old bokashi bin to my outfit tumbler full of straw and leaves. I added a small amount of the larger wood chips and twigs from my outdoor thermophilic compost pile last week.

[@dulce0403]

Let you know in a month how it turns out

[@WorldComposting]

Bokashi in a tumbler should work really well. I found it causes things to heat up which is perfect for a small tumbler system as they typically have issues building enough heat.

[@2be1withU]

Yes. It will heat up really nice. I added shredded cardboard boxes, any brown leaves in the yard and grass clipping from the yard. Turn it twice a week. You'll have nice compost in about 3 weeks. Bokashi totally sped up the hot composting process and also allow a small batch to heat up. I usually can't get my regular hot compost to heat up.

[@Brian-gx3rj]

Inoculating a new batch with some older fermented material really helps kick start the new bucket

[@WorldComposting]

Never heard of that before and it would be nice to use a bit less Bokashi bran each time!

[@junovhs4646]

You can burn the bones to make your own biochar, or probably let them ferment longer in the Bokashi. This is an awesome system!

[@WorldComposting]

Thanks for watching. I have thought about biochar but where I live I have very little space to do that.

[@korlimservices4180]

i have had great results with this system. i fill my bucket and than let it sit for about 3 or 3,5 weeks and thats it. i burry them in the ground or raise beds and after a month its 100% compost !! ( EDIT ) Also i dont use that much of Bokashi as you used ...the fermentation will work anyway with just a bit !!

[@9catlover]

i am gonna try this in winter as it's just too cold to go out and dig into the ground. great video!

[@WorldComposting]

It works really well as long as you do a good job making Bokashi and don't let it rot. I would recommend a better container than the one I'm using which is breaking apart from weight this winter.

[@9catlover]

@@WorldComposting Haha you must be psychic...after watching your video I was googling strong plastic storage containers. Found a brand Strata and they 145L box is on sale so will get some tomorrow. But I thought the whole point of bokashi was to let the food rot. The ones i dug out into raised bed outside has some maggots. But I will add more browns and some class clippings to those. But happy i found a winter solution. Can never have enough soil!

[@WorldComposting]

@@9catlover Yes good idea to find a stronger container. I noticed mine pushing outward and should wrap a strap around it before it breaks apart. For Bokashi it should not be rotting but fermenting and have a pungent odor but it shouldn't be bad. If it smells bad you have the wrong microbes and should see if adding more Bokashi can fix it before burying it. If it smells it will smell bad in your house! Trust me I know from experience it smells bad!!!

[@9catlover]

@@WorldComposting haha I think a few of mine smelt bad when I left it too long, but still emptied it and dug it into soil. Thanks for the tips. I will wrap a thick ribbon around it then. can't wait to try this method in winter...was really wondering what to do. Glad i happened to see your video

[@chandrakantpatil983]

Great work. 👌✌👏

[@coolbreeze8572]

I love the content thanks bro!

[@WorldComposting]

Thanks for watching!

[@raarnt]

I alternate 2 bokashi buckets specifically designed for that purpose. Airtight and closed system with tap at the bottom. When emptying the bin it will smell like beer gone bad, but as soon as you get it in the soil there’s no smell.

[@reeferfranklin]

I'd be tempted to sift all of that out, use the new soil in the garden & toss what was left after the sifting into the next Bokashi bucket to run for another round, also pulverizing the left-over to go in the next bucket would prolly help.

[@WorldComposting]

Not a bad idea to keep the material that didn't finish for a second Bokashi run. I have been trying to use it more for items that don't go into my worm bins but I really need to get better about using it!

[@torrencekrepps757]

Lmao 🤣 I didn't realize 😂 u had a screw on lid until the commercials were done

[@scotttaylor4219]

I have gotten rid of bones with my outdoor compost pile. They’re boiled when we cook them then into a hot pile. Took about 30 days

[@Epiphalactic]

Also for your chicken bones, it helps to have a blender, like I have a blender and a food processor that I use for these things, and run them through for a minute or so and get them nice and broken down.

[@WorldComposting]

The blender I use for this is a bit small but I never thought to use the food processor. I also have a 3D printed shredder I can try to really grind up the food next time. I know it can process chicken bones.

[@demetrashelton1688]

Great compilation very different outcome. I thought for bokashi scraps were left in the bucket for a couple of months first?

[@WorldComposting]

I've heard 2-4 weeks is good but I have had a bucket sitting for months now that I've been meaning to add. Just had a fruit fly issue and didn't want to add this and have another nesting ground.

[@demetrashelton1688]

@@WorldComposting I completely understand, interested in seeing what the magic formula is for bones and shells.

[@pieters286]

cutting/shredding/blending scraps before adding to bucket will ensure tighter packing, less air.

[@WorldComposting]

I might try that next time as I have a 3d printed shredder that can really grind things up including chicken bones. Playlist for shredder kzbin.info/aero/PLLEZ5krxcR7be5zLXpBm_0tJV492H4qfd

[@katblyth8153]

Yes, my thoughts were that some of the items are too large and need to be cut up finer or put through a blender. All my reading suggests Bokashi does better when the pieces are smaller. But very interesting video, thank you.

[@pieters286]

@@WorldComposting looks good!

[@Carlinda11]

Hi Thanks for upur efforts. i think you would have better results of upu cut the bannas etc into much smsller pieces as this would allow the air to be excluded more quiclkly

[@xukeepax1286]

you should do a bones only experiment with good dependent varibles like weight and type. Putting one part in compost only and one part in Bokashi only and one part in Bokashi for x amont of than compost. To see what the differences are.

[@dulce0403]

So, what did you do with the material from this soil factory after it was finished digesting the food scraps?

[@WorldComposting]

The material in that system is what I use to store my sorted castings and after this it typically gets used in the garden or yard to get much needed nutrients into the soil. Here is a link to the bin itself and how I use them Storage Bin kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHingWqLYtGDiLs Using Castings/Bokashi Mix kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5TVi4eGftV7n9k

[@A-V]

On the next go-around with testing bokashi I wonder how things would turn out of you were to take a sledge hammer to all those bones to shatter them.. or at least fracture them. Perhaps do the same with the crab shells too. Anyhow - great looking material & no odor - so I would say the results are far better than last time. Now that you are getting the hang of it, will you be trying bokashi again?

[@WorldComposting]

I think for the next round I'll run everything through the 3d printed shredder I have to break it down into small pieces. As I recorded this last year I have actually done Bokashi one more time since then without shredding it. The only issue is buying the bran so I might test out some methods on making homemade bran. But I do think this is a great way for many to get rid of food waste without throwing it in the trash!

[@junovhs4646]

@@WorldComposting about the bran - you can make your own! You can use almost any inert material as the delivery mechanism for the Bokashi (basically just lactobaccilus but usually a few others) you should check out Korean natural farming LAB videos by Chris trump, he shows you how to make LAB (you could also probably just buy EM1 online) and there are tons of videos showing how to make the bran with that as well. Awesome video!

[@A-V]

Oh yeah... the shredder! I almost forgot about that thing; the shredder is so cool. I bet that thing would do an *awesome* job on those bones & crab shells. Perhaps even take the extra effort to bust up the cobs too. I'm already looking forward to it :)

[@ambersamusements5257]

Also maybe toss the contents going in with bin with bokashi so that everything is kind of coated and then top with thin layer of bokashi to the top.

[@thadesplatter5080]

Did you put holes in your soil container? I live in Socal where it's warm and dry in the summer and I'm wondering if I should put holes on the lid of the soil container. (I'm planning on storing the container outside.)

[@WorldComposting]

The storage/soil container has holes in the handle area and has a lot of room inside to allow air exchange. So I did not add any holes on purpose. There is a hole in the side where the bin cracked apart but it wasn't planned.

[@thadesplatter5080]

@@WorldComposting Alright thank you very much.

[@IndraniAGhosh]

Hi, I am new to composting. I started with bokashi composting. Unfortunately, I close the lid of the wheat bran that I was using for composting. I see white fungus growing on it now. Can I still use the bran for composting?

[@WorldComposting]

I would think so you want white fungus in your bokashi system that is a good sign.

[@dulce0403]

Are those the bones you mentioned pressure cooking?

[@WorldComposting]

These were not I actually have a bunch in my freezer I cooked in a pressure cooker for an hour that I'm going to test out later!

[@kevinellazar9875]

I think the reason why the first bucket failed and why it doesn't smell like it's fermenting is because he is adding already rotting moldy materials. Bokashi uses EM to ferment the materials and what you don't want to do is to introduce other bacteria, fungi, or microorganisms that will take over the system. That's why there's green mold at the end. it probably failed to ferment the materials as he wanted to and so the materials are still present even after a month. Not 100% sure but that looks like what it seems. Just add the moldy fruits directly to the worm bin since the worms can get to it right anyways and just put wastes that are not rotten or spoiled yet.

[@catherinepususta8639]

Kevin I think you are correct Don't add anything with mold on it already, cut into smaller pieces, weigh down the blue cutting board between batches with a couple bricks or whatever, thaw the stuff before adding...fewer air pockets. The final result looked good except for the bones( there are plenty of good suggestions about those in these comments), but I think these suggestions would speed up the process.

[@WorldComposting]

Thank you everyone I'm still very new to Bokashi and have been learning as I go. Right now I'm playing around with making my own LAB instead of purchasing Bokashi bran. Hopefully it works and I can put out a video on the process.

[@kevinellazar9875]

@@WorldComposting I'm trying another culture I have in hand different from LAB obtained from rice wash and milk. I brew my own Kombucha tea and it contains LAB, AAB and Yeast, why it is considered probiotic. I just add 7 parts water to 1 part unsulfured molasses and 1 part inoculant. So far, I think it is actually fermenting it way better than just the LAB but I can't say for sure. I have to try both at the same time and compare.

[@sothundercat]

Is your soil factory bin completely seal? I wonder how the worm survive in there with less moistor and air

[@WorldComposting]

It looks like it is completely sealed but the bin has air holes in the handles and the bin does not seal very well so there is plenty of air flow. I also only fill it up halfway so there is plenty of air in the bin itself.

[@Aradene1]

Have you considered cooking your banana peels? Banana peels are edible and there are quite a few interesting recipes that involve them - the biggest challenge for most people is actually having enough. Wouldn’t normally suggest it other than taking into account the sheer volume of peel your household seems to go through!

[@WorldComposting]

Didn't think you could cook them and never looked into it. I might be able to convince myself but not sure about the kids as these are typically the snacks they have during the day. I'll still look for a recipe and test it out.

[@ambersamusements5257]

Shouldn’t constant pressure be applied to the top of the contents of the bucket? Like a few bricks or round pavers?

[@WorldComposting]

I don't think it needs constant pressure just pressure at the beginning to get out any air pockets. Although I could try that at some point with a paver.

[@Epiphalactic]

You should really make it yourself, concerning the bokashi bran. A lot of times you have no clue how old the store-bought stuff is. You can have a good test by smelling it and it should have a fairly sour smell to it. But you never really know how old it is and the older they are the less effective they are. on top of that the cost of the stuff is just in my opinion nearly prohibitive. I seen anywhere from between two and four pounds for 20 to 30 dollars. In my opinion with as much as you really should be adding, and especially if you want to add things like meats or spoiled food or milk, or dairy, you should make it yourself. You can get a quart bottle of EM1 from teraganix for $35 for a quart. That qt can then make many gallons of activated EM1. which is essentially just EM1 that is spread out using new molasses and water. (Every gallon of activated em-1 uses 3/4 cup each of molasses and em-1, so you can make about 5 gallons with one quart) Anyways it comes down to maybe 5- 6 bucks per gallon. Em-1 also has many other uses and is great in the garden, chickens or cat boxes, in the yard, deodorizing drains and toilets and p traps. Combating mold and constantly wet situations, keeping water from going stagnant. You can drink it for a heavy probiotic boost. You can use it to make a litany of fermented nutrients for your gardenfoods such as sauerkraut if you so chose. Locally at a feed store I can get 50 lb of soft wheat bran for about 14 and some change call it 15 after tax. If you bought it in bulk I hear you can get it much cheaper than that. If I recall, I could get a ton for around $100 I think? So like, 5 cents a lb or something crazy. Then you can get a gallon of black strap molasses for $20 on Amazon. It takes approx 1/4 cup each of molasses and em-1 for 10 lbs. The more you do it once the less you need to use so, 3/4 of a.cup each for 50lbs. So for 5 bucks for a gallon of em and 20 for a gallon of molasses,, and you use less than 1/6th of the gallon for every 50 lbs of bokashi you make, you pay about 16 dollars and some change. Infact, that gallon of activated em and the gallon of molasses is enough to make 2000 lbs of bran in bulk. A bit less if you break it down into 10 lb increments like I do. What is perfect for me is doing it in 10 lb increments, I can make 10 lb about once every 2 months and stay in constant supply, rotating feeling about a bucket for a week in the heavier usage . To make: get a 5 gallon bucket (3) with a gamma lid (7), and one of those rope handle black tubs from walmart to mix, use the 5 gallon bucket as a measurement as 10 lbs fits in it when filled to brim, and you're looking at a total of 15 in equipment, 35 for your first quart of em(they have a 16 oz bottle too) and 20 for your gallon of molasses, cost of the systems themselves excluded, you're looking at 70 bucks or so. For every 10 lb you use about 10 cups of purified water so if you don't have a water purifier you can buy one of those water pitchers that purifies the water for 20 bucks or something, or just let the water sit out overnight. It's all mixed together and then once it's moist it kind of has to be packed down into the bucket, pack it nice and tight screw on the lid and let it sit for 3 weeks, or until when you open it which you shouldn't do often, it has a nice sour smell. And the benefits beyond that are innumerable, you don't have to dry it depending on how much you use you can get into a cycle of making it and as long as you use what you've made within a month of it being ready which it takes about 3 weeks on average I'd say, ( as low as two and as high as a month) so call it 2 months from the date of making it you have to use it, or you can try it out simply by dumping it onto a tarp and mixing it every few hours with a fan blowing in the area and bag it up for longer term. so it's always fresh, it's the most powerful when it's fresh before it's been dried so you can use less of it and it keeps things from stinking as much.

[@MetalDave92]

One could also culture lactic acid bacteria with rice water and milk for even cheaper. Use the bacteria to inoculate shredded paper "bran", or use a strong dilution and be mindful of how much moisture you're adding to the bin. Did my first bin this way, and added too much solution/had too open of a system and got a little putrid smell in the leachate, but top side smells like it worked. I think most of the putrid smell lives in the leachate bucket, more than the actual compost.

[@NorthernThaiGardenGuy]

I noticed that you did not add EM-1 with the Bokashi Bran. Is that what it was double fermented with? Also - char your bones black and through. Snap them into pieces and then add them to a Mason Jar full of Vinegar (like Mother's Apple Cider Vinegar). Will take about 10 days for the bubbling activity and rising and falling of the bone material to stop, but you will have Water Soluble Calcium Phosphate that you can then use in your watering of plants (at a rate of about 1:1000).

[@suzivoce228]

Do you cover this or keep the mason jar open?

[@NorthernThaiGardenGuy]

@@suzivoce228 For the 10 day process use a breathable lid, but after that you can use a sealed lid (unless it is a living Vinegar with the Mother in it then you might want to keep the lid loose on it or go breathable). Also - you may not see as much active movement in your process as you would with charred eggshells, but more bubbling on the charred bones themselves. It is working regardless.

[@suzivoce228]

@@NorthernThaiGardenGuy Thanks for the info!

[@elizabethblane201]

There is a video of hot composting more than 100 pig carcasses. All flesh was consumed after about 10 days. Impressive, BUT the bones did not compost. They had to grind down the bones to get them to disintegrate.

[@raarnt]

I didn’t experience fould odor with mine. I keep the layers thin, bran sprinkle is moderate, not extreme. keep training the liquid from the bottom. If I didn’t drain it I’m 100% it would smell very bad. there’s special buckets with taps for this

[@anthonymiller6187]

Put the bones in the bottom of the bucket..sometimes I will throw them in the vitamix..then I put the fatty boney mix in the bucket for a month and wala..

[@WorldComposting]

I do think breaking them down more would help I just don't want to use my good blender on something like this as mine is mid range and not a high quality vitamix or blendtec.

[@9catlover]

i wonder if the worms will die because of the heat. i might try a few different indoor methods. one with bokashi compost and another just worms and fresh left over food - mostly raw veg and juicing fibre

[@WorldComposting]

In a system that large they will find places to go without the heat. I did this in other containers and worms will find a way to survive. This container was large where they could easily get away.

[@amphithere01]

Vinegar, Lemon or other acid for the bones?

[@WorldComposting]

I could try vinegar as I keep a ton of it in the house for cleaning.

[@brylie8851]

what did you start with in the tote? just soil??

[@WorldComposting]

The tote could have had soil and it should have worked just the same. My tote has worm castings in it that were ready for the garden which already have a high microbe content to help breakdown the Bokashi. The real test was would it smell and it didn't which is important if I want to do this during the winter months when it is cold outside. I can keep doing Bokashi composting without any issues!

[@emawahyuni2332]

Bones that have not been ground, have no odor and are no longer too hard, can be dried and then finely ground, then buried in the ground.

[@ivaknezevic6752]

Can be put in earthwrms for smell thank you

[@0701369]

I dont seal my soil factory with air tight lid. Just put enough soil on top to keep smell inside. I think you get better results with not air tight lid. If i have understood correctly soilfactory needs definitely air. Also you dont get mold. And you shouldnt smell any mold i think 🙈 interesting project tho and i guess this is one way to do it. But... Try giving soilfactory air, cover it only with some towel or something, and add bio char to odor control.

[@WorldComposting]

The smell was because the Bokashi system wasn't quite right or sat too long. The soil factory did a great job with the material and the lid was not airtight and the container has air holes in the handles. Not to mention it was nowhere near full so there was plenty of air exchange inside the container itself. I agree soil factory needs air I think it is hard to convey how this tote is very fragile and has tons of air gaps through video.

[@teknoallah]

if no one suggested this idea , how about make bone broth from the bones and cook them extra long then they will turn to mush then put the mush left over into bokashi bucket when drained and cooled down. think that could get ya rid them bones you find so pesky. or other idea i had was pull from soil factory the bones and dry them and pulverize them to use in garden as bone meal

[@Itried20takennames]

The bones can be made into home-made bone meal fertilizer, with several videos on how to do so here on YT.

[@cowboyblacksmith]

soak the bones in vinegar for a while and save the liquid, it has lots of dissolved plant available calcium. The softened bones will break down quicker.

[@coconutfleetsleeper5717]

Speculation: throwing it in frozen might have a negative effect on the speed of it all? Its in a closed environment, the slow thawing of the substrate might be beneficial or negative for the biome your trying to achieve? -your not replicating nature, your optimising it right?

[@WorldComposting]

I'm sure frozen food doesn't help and next time I try out a large batch I'll try and add non frozen food. I freeze everything as typically I feed my used food to the worms and freezing helps kill bugs before it is added. As Bokashi is already closed off that really isn't a problem. Thanks for the comments!!

[@dirtcheapgarden22]

I wonder if bones would make good bio-char.

[@WorldComposting]

I have heard this and I think they would. Problem for me is actually burning them as I live right near a city and have a very small 1/4 acre yard. I'm pretty sure I would have the fire department show up with enough smoke.

[@aperson1181]

what bran? Any updates?

[@user-mt7mw6vr6q]

Pls inform what the powder u r pouring on veg waste

[@andrejzalec4512]

Bones and other material that has not disintegrated can be dried and made into Biochar. Definitely the material needs to be sifted. Slovenija-Ljubljana

[@WorldComposting]

I'm looking now on how I can turn these into biochar. I live near a city so fires are hard to come by and especially for this small amount of bones. If I figure it out I'll be posting up some videos on it!👍

[@tessalaframboise5699]

you need a pet rabbit too :)

[@WorldComposting]

I looked at getting a rabbit before but I think my wife would kill me. 😊

[@liavanson8687]

Ive learned that you must push the air out. Missing that. ( at 7.32)

[@redhen689]

If you pressure cook the bones, it softens them.

[@C00ltronix]

Wouldn't it speed up things to cut the food waste smaller?

[@WorldComposting]

Yes smaller pieces have more surface area.

[@lisawoods9391]

thank you for all the info! Today was the first time I've even heard of Bokashi, and now have been doing a LOT of research on it. From what everyone is saying, when you put stuff in, you are suppose to cut them down to smaller pieces? That seems to be the same consensus with everyone that I've seem so far. Maybe that would help you out a bit? Again, thanks for all your info! :)

[@WorldComposting]

Glad this was helpful. Even without chopping everything up this worked really well. If it was chopped up even more this probably would have disappeared even faster and maybe I could have used less Bran.

[@guillermopereyra5494]

Need more temperature for disolve bone estructure,but dont work in a recipe closed,need air or oxigen flowing;in the soil.I do this with more thick cow bones,and work fine.

[@WorldComposting]

Bokashi is supposed to change the structure of the bones so they breakdown. I found this happened when adding Bokashi to my soil outside. I'm thinking this might not have had enough bran mix or some air got in so it wasn't as good as it could have been.

[@3bouldersurban653]

No need to add a lot of bran to the top later. A hand sprinkle to cover the top of the food is all is needed.

[@Child-of-God-Jaoel-Greatangel]

can you just put the scraps in a bin of soil with bokashi and seal it. will it not do the same thing or no??

[@WorldComposting]

If you don't add a bran or EM1 type microbe it will smell horrible and the food will rot. The bokashi sort of pickles the items in the container which helps change the structure so they can be more easily broken down by microbes in the soil.

[@Child-of-God-Jaoel-Greatangel]

@@WorldComposting okay. thank you eh.

[@amysnipes4245]

I'm not sure I understand why you bother freezing food scraps. Is there a reason for this? Thanks.

[@WorldComposting]

Yes freezing helps kill any bugs that might be on the food scraps and it starts breaking the creek walls apart so the food will breakdown faster. Also it allows me to save food scraps when I don't have room in the bins without it smelling.

[@ianshand6094]

​@@WorldComposting By bugs, I assume you mean bacteria and yeast, etc? If yes, then you're wasting your time my friend. You're putting the food scraps into a non-sterile bucket and there's yeast and bacteria everywhere, including in the air. Additionally, the purpose of the Bokashi Bran, or any other innoculant, is to seed the food waste with an anaerobic bacteria that will quickly multiply and out-compete other micro-organisms in an anaerobic environment. The other reasons you state are valid. I hope this is useful. Cheers.

[@briangood7837]

Hey man. So I was wondering why you're not using any em1 or other form of microbial liquid in your bucket? If you don't know what I'm talking about I would look up something like "em1 and bokashi" and get hip. Its easily made at home and the relationship between the microbes and the fungus will create the bokashi you really want. It will likely supercharge your process in a way that will allow you to process bones

[@WorldComposting]

I actually have made the bacteria using rice wash and found it did work when fixing the bucket system I had when it started to smell. I later recorded a video of a time lapse with it as well kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJnVdJuBe9V6aNk

[@briangood7837]

Ah well then, happy composting!

[@HollyOak]

Bones take centuries to decompose, I'm not sure expecting them to be gone in 2 weeks or even 2 months is realistic. Looks like your bokashi did an awesome job considering you put large, even whole size items in - the smaller they are cut down to the more surface area the bacteria have to work with and put frozen items in. The bacteria need heat. Cold makes them slow down putting frozen food in at the start is not helping them have the best beginning. As for the odour, it needs oxygen, if your bokashi was stinking in the past, it meant oxygen was getting in. Just a suggestion if you do this again, instead of talking with the lid off, put the lid on immediately and talk after. That's the best way to keep as much air out as possible. Also, do a bit of research on why putting rotten food in (strawberries) is not a good idea.

[@weirdheathersgarden]

My understanding from research is that bones might need to go through a few times, but they will weaken and become brittle, at which point you can start smashing them with a hammer. Like the chef said, if you make stock or bone broth with the bones, they’ll be a lot softer and should decompose more quickly. Last time I made chicken stock, the bones were crazy pliable after an hour or so.

[@WorldComposting]

I will be doing another test where I pressure cooked the bones for an hour to soften them up. I did that and put them in the freezer and haven't had a chance to get back to it.

[@weirdheathersgarden]

@@WorldComposting Cool, I’ll be curious to see how that goes for you 😊

[@garystonestreet207]

I believe you’re supposed to wait two months before adding it to soil

[@WorldComposting]

Everything I read said 4 weeks. The material in the container doesn't change shape only composition so it will look the same until you add it to the soil so the microbes can break it apart.

[@jodichapek7170]

Mr. Davis, I have an idea I want to run by you. I have a soil factory that is going well. I've been layering spent potting soil and garden soil with 3-4 week fermented bokashi once a week for about 5 weeks. I have been topping it with shredded newspaper. The moisture level seems fine. It's in a large trashcan in the basement at about 60 degrees. It has no smell but I haven't dug in to see what it's doing. I have red wrigglers coming--but don't want to manage a worm bin. Can I add the worms to my soil factory in hopes that it will speed up the decomposition process? (and furthermore, how do I get the worm castings/soil out of that upright trashcan if this actually works?) I see lots of people adding small amounts of bokashi into their worm bins successfully but that's not exactly what I'm doing. I have about two gallons of fermented bokashi a week to add to the soil factory. I have enough dirt to stir and cover the bokashi. Thoughts? Thanks for all your videos. They are well done and a source of information on a topic that is not well covered. I appreciate your experience!

[@WorldComposting]

To me it sounds like you should be able to add worms no problem. As Bokashi can smell if not covered make sure you continue to bury it in with only a couple inches of soil. The worms should be more than willing to dig down to find it and also be able to get away if it heats up. As far as emptying the bin that is harder. You have two options if it is on wheels you can wheel it to where you want to dump it. If not you will need to drag it if possible or you will need to shovel it out from the top into another container to use. I have a worm bin in a 35 gallon trashcan and found it to be pretty hard to use because of the lack of width and extra depth. This is why I started storing castings in the 55 gallon tote. It isn't as strong but is easier to dig out as it is lower to the ground. Also was a bit easier to get through my basement door to drag it outside. One question why did you order worms if you didn't plan on managing a worm bin? They are not needed for Bokashi in a soil factory. Mine only has worms because I run a bunch of worm bins and I add the finished castings to the container that I happen to be using as a Soil Factory. Also are you making your own Bokashi bran or purchasing like I did?

[@jodichapek7170]

@@WorldComposting Thanks for the quick response!! I have worms coming because I can't say no to free worms. Could you? ;) So...I was hoping to to incorporate them into something I'm already doing. The soil factory is on wheels and is close to my patio door. So once full, I would dump it out onto a tarp or something and then pull out the worms to keep them for my next factory and transfer the worm castings into the garden? I am currently purchasing my bran. At $11 a bag that lasts about a month, I feel like I can do that-plus I make milk kefir every day, which leaves me of plenty of whey. I often add it to my bokashi (hoping that's ok) at about 1/2 a cup once a week per two gallon of bokashi before the 4 week fermentation, which then goes into the soil factory layered with newspaper and garden soil. That sound ok?

[@WorldComposting]

@@jodichapek7170 I understand especially with how expensive worms have gotten recently. Glad to hear it is on wheels because dirt/compost is heavy!! You can pull worms out that way or you could add some food and lure them to specific section and take them out for when you get the next factory up and running. I have debated on trying to make bran but it seems like quite a process and if you mess up you get nothing out of it so I think $11 a month to bokashi scraps isn't too high a price. I'm not sure about the whey as I'm only doing fruits, veggies, and some bones. I think luring the worms out makes a lot of sense instead of dumping and sorting. a couple weeks before harvest I would add bokashi to one section and right before harvesting I think the worms will be in the bokashi. Take out that section and place in a 5 gallon bucket along with anything else that didn't breakdown. Use the soil from the soil factory. Dump the 5 gallon bucket back into the big trash can. Cover with some soil and start the process again. I hope that helps! Good luck with everything!

[@jodichapek7170]

@@WorldComposting Before harvesting, In theory, I could make a mini-factory out of a five gallon bucket with holes in the bottom of the bucket and set it on top of the soil in my soil factory. I think the worms would migrate into the bucket if it's layered with newspaper, burlap, bokashi ect, and then I could pull out that five gallon bucket and have most of the worms in there with out too much hassle. I could transfer the new soil and worm castings to where I plan on using it, and then dump that mini-factory to give my process a kick start. This is all assuming that it's not too acidic, which is where I predict I may have problems. We'll see.

[@WorldComposting]

That is a good idea and as long as you give them enough time they will move into it.

[@torrencekrepps757]

It's truly better to try to make something to smash up the bones and then u turn around and blending them up with a good blender and you will definitely get rid of them

[@WorldComposting]

I've tried a few things and you are right the only way to breakdown bones is grinding them up. I like trying things as so many times I find people say something that isn't true such as adding citrus to worm bins. I actually have a 3D printed shredder that can grind up chicken bones. They don't turn into dust but it really helps the process. Here is a playlist of the 3D printed food shredder. kzbin.info/aero/PLLEZ5krxcR7be5zLXpBm_0tJV492H4qfd

[@user-ql5jd3vg2o]

I have a question actually two Maybe it's stupid question Why we need bokashi at the first place! I mean why I don't make a raised bed feel it with garden soil no alive plants in it. And just burry food scrubs in it till it all filled up and it decompose very quickly maybe a month or two. Then just use that soil as a top dressing for plants. Or use it as a growing medium Why we need to take the food scrubs to bokashi process! The second question Why we need to use bokashi brans! Why we don't use diy lactic acid as a liquid spray!

[@WorldComposting]

First this is not a stupid question!! You idea of burying food will work and the food will breakdown. The big issue with doing this can be vermin (rats, mice, bugs) digging down to get to the food. When you do Bokashi it ferments the food and changes the smell so animals won't dig for it. I think Bokashi also kills pathogens that might be on the food. For the second question from what I have read yes you can use DIY Lactic Acid (LAB) and I'm actually trying to make some for the first time right now. I should know if it is successful in a couple days. I purchased Bokashi Bran simply because I wanted to see if it would work and the directions I saw for LAB was pretty detailed and I was worried if I made a mistake the Bokashi bucket wouldn't work leaving people to think Bokashi doesn't work when really it was my fault. After I make my first successful batch of LAB I'll probably do a video on it and also test it out in some different ways.

[@varf4528]

You can crush the bones after they have been in the bokashi and they break down quicker

[@arvellataratuta2150]

As much bran as you use, it makes it quite expensive. You don’t need that much. I would guess you use about $20 in bran for one 5 gallon bucket.

[@campdavidsonfunctionaltrai8583]

why do you add castings? I put all the bokashi veggies into a bin with leaf mold from the compost pile.

[@WorldComposting]

This is the container I use to store all my worm castings during the winter so it is available freely. Digging large holes outside can be tough especially during the winter. I can't have a compost pile in my county it is actually illegal but worm bins and bokashi are legal.

[@campdavidsonfunctionaltrai8583]

What planet does not allow people picking up leaves for a compost pile? What is the reason? That's crazy. When you say bran you mean inoculated bran right?

[@WorldComposting]

I think compost piles caused rats to move in as someone was not doing it right or just was throwing waste outside and said it was a compost pile so they banned them.

[@campdavidsonfunctionaltrai8583]

only takes one. do you make your own rice wash lactobacillus with your bran?

[@WorldComposting]

I have not I just purchased the bran but have a lot of videos saved on how to make it in the future.

[@irdiver3]

grind bones or trassh

[@CristalPNL]

I’ve heard that bones must be crushed before putting in bokashi

[@WorldComposting]

That is what others have said as well. I'll have to break them apart next time!

[@torrencekrepps757]

The only thing that I would do differently is using a screw on lids for this

[@torrencekrepps757]

Your bones are like your egg 🐚 you have to grind them and smashing them up like a dust and then you will see 👀 a big difference in it

[@terryhuang1098]

I'd dehydrate + grind bones into powder.

[@markzajac9993]

I saw in another video where someone dehydrated bones to make her own bone meal.

[@markzajac9993]

Bones take a long long time to break down. When I was a kid I would dig up old cow bones in my yard from the time it was a farm over 150 years ago.

[@stevehoward4939]

I take the chicken bones and grind the up with a kitchenaid attachement and add to the st bernards dinner

[@fazeng]

Yeah unfortunately tough stuff like bones and avo peels/seeds won't break down in a month, mostly just the soft fruit/veggie waste will. For the bones, I take them out after the microbes or worms have picked them clean. Put them in a mesh bag and hang from the porch to let them dry. Smash them with a hammer and you have free bone meal to spread in your garden!

[@WorldComposting]

I keep having people say I should turn the bones to biochar and I've been looking into it just need to figure out how I can do it on a small scale in my backyard!

[@simonb5670]

Ciao, lo sai che non stai facendo il bokashi? È solo un precompost con un ph molto basso. Il bokashi deve essere lasciato maturare senza ossigeno almeno 2 - 4 mesi , in base alla tua latitudine ed alla stagione. La parte umida , che deve essere triturata il più possibile altrimenti non si deconpone rapidamente deve essere il 30% max 40% perché contiene azoto il resto deve contenere carbonio ad esempio pane secco, giornali non riviste, tovaglioli di carta. Inoltre ci sono alimenti e vegetali che è meglio non aggiungere o non si devono tassativamente aggiungere. Mi auguro che questo commento sia costruttivo e ti stimoli a documentarti prima di fare acquisti non consapevoli e diffondere informazioni sbagliate. Grazie per aver letto questo post 🙏🪷

[@uchibauki2515]

Where can I release my worms if I have too many? Thanks 🙏🏼

[@WorldComposting]

No reason to release them as they will balance out. Also depending on where you are they might be considered invasive.

[@bobertcronos8433]

Release them in a river on a retractable leash... fishing go fishing🎣

[@ianshand6094]

​@@bobertcronos8433 LOL, retractable leash, love it.

[@stevespeakman9465]

You can crush the bones before adding.

[@meh.7539]

I've watched too many documentaries on serial killers to know that you weren't going to be able to get rid of bones this way.

[@WorldComposting]

Others have said this will work for small bones which is why I was trying it out. I think if I ground them up a bit more it might have worked.

[@meh.7539]

@@WorldComposting Honestly, with bones you have 2 really good options. The 'broth method' as others have suggested, which is just a lovely option all around because who doesn't love chickin noodle soup amirite? Or you can go with one of those fancy retort kilns and make activated charcoal out of extra wood and the small bones you have. See LivingwebfarmsOrg's YT channel for everything you could possibly want to know about activated charcoal. I think you'll find it fascinating.

[@anthonyhaworth8550]

You are getting green mold probably because you dont distribute the bran very well, your waste on the sides was not getting a covering of bran , you just piled it in the middle.

[@WorldComposting]

I think I also needed to grind up the food some more to help compact and get rid of more air in the system. Still I used a lot of bran I don't think this should have been as much of an issue.

[@katblyth8153]

@@WorldComposting Definitely!