GSCC LUNCHTIME INFORMATION SESSION BOKASHI, COMPOSTING AND WORM FARMING Presented by Doug Cousins; doug.cousins@shepparton.vic.gov.au IMPORTANT NOTE: all garden material contains bacteria, viruses and protozoa s. Practice good hygiene by limiting contact with any waste or composted material. BOKASHI The Bokashi treatment is a pickling process using crushed grains inoculated with special bacteria chosen for their ability to ferment waste food (the Bokashi additive should be available at your hardware store for less than $20 for a 5 litre bag which lasts me over a year). I use the Bokashi treatment to pre-treat all types of foods including meat, seafood, dairy and fat scraps, fruit and vegetables (including citrus and onions). If you search the internet there are many worm sites that will say you should not add garlic, citrus, or onions to worm beds as they cause the bed to become acidic (5pH) when worms prefer near neutral (7pH). Many sites also recommend not adding dairy, meat or seafood scraps to worm beds as the scraps will turn putrid. I feel the Bokashi process overcomes these issues by partially breaking down the waste before it is moved to the worm beds. Once complete the Bokashi compost is slightly acidic however you can add a handful of wood ash (which is alkaline) to help neutralise any acidic effects the Bokashi compost when added to worm beds. The Bokashi process; 1. Add your food scraps 1-2 inches deep in your Bokashi bucket and firm down using a potato masher/piece of timber or hand in a plastic bag to remove the air. Removing the air in the layer of food reduces oxygen content creating ideal conditions for the anaerobic bacteria involved in the fermentation process. Once the food waste has been firmed down, spread a small amount (~two thirds tablespoon) of Bokashi mix evenly over the surface of the food scraps and replace the lid firmly. Repeat this layering process until the bucket is full. Once the Bokashi Bucket is full it is best left for a week or two before burying, however if you don t have a second bucket, the waste can be buried 30cm below ground in the garden or moved to a worm bed.
* You should frequently drain the Bokashi juice that accumulates in the bottom of the bucket. See below for how to use Bokashi juice. Once the bucket stops producing juice, the contents can be buried in the garden or moved to a worm bed. The Fermentation Process; As the waste has fermented you will see that it has been preserved and now has an appearance similar to pickles. It maintains its original shape but does not break down completely in the bucket. Indications that the fermentation process has been a success are: Smell: Well fermented Bokashi compost should have a smell similar to that of pickles or cider vinegar. Visual: Occasionally, particularly for longer fermentation periods a white cotton-like fungi growth may appear on the surface. This shows that a good fermentation has occurred. Indications that the fermentation process has not been successful are: Smell: A strong rancid or rotten smell Visual: The presence of black or blue green fungi indicates that contamination has occurred and the process has putrefied, although citrus will often grow the blue fungi naturally. If you have noticed any of these signs, it is probably the result of not adding enough Bokashi mix or not draining the juice frequently If your fermentation process has struck problems, find a spot in the garden away from plants; dig a 20cm hole and tip in the poor batch of Bokashi compost, and add a tablespoon of the Bokashi mix then fill in the hole with soil. Using you Bokashi compost; Bokashi compost supplies your soil with the nutrients from the waste and more life from the microorganisms. Bokashi compost is acidic when first dug in, but neutralises after 7-10 days (adding wood ash will help this neutralising process). Be sure plant roots do not come in direct contact with the compost as it may burn the roots, particularly if the plants are very young. Fresh compost can be stressful to new plants so it is best to wait two weeks before planting your favourite veggies, flowers etc. Dig a hole or trench approximately 20-25cm s deep. Add your Bokashi compost and mix in some soil. Cover with remaining soil. For established gardens, dig the holes around plants or between rows of trees. Bokashi waste can be added to a conventional compost bin although you must ensure the compost heap is vermin proof to avoid breeding mice and rats. It is also best to cover the Bokashi compost with a few centimetres of soil or compost material to deter flies and vermin. Using your Bokashi juice; The amount and colour of the Bokashi juice produced will depend on the type of foods you have put into the Bokashi bucket. Fruit and vegetables tend to release more liquid than other foods. BOKASHI JUICE MUST BE DILUTED PRIOR TO USE IN YOUR GARDEN In The Garden - Bokashi juice contains nutrients from the food waste and is alive with microorganisms therefore it makes a terrific fertiliser. To fertilise an existing garden or pot plants use 1 teaspoon with 2-3 litres of water and apply directly to the soil. For trees and shrubs use 2 teaspoons with 2-3 litres of water. Do not apply directly to foliage. Bokashi Juice cannot be stored and must be used within 24 hours after draining from the bucket.
WORM FARMS Many types of worm beds and worms can be purchased in hardware and nursery stores. I created my original worm bed using a childrens clam shell sand pit. Drainage is supplied via a hole drilled into one edge of shell with a hose attached to direct the worm leachate to a container. Begin by locating the worm bed in a cool shaded location over summer and warm in winter. Under a deciduous tree is a good spot as it will be shaded in summer and warmed by the sun in winter. Begin preparing the bed by adding some moist coconut coir, rotted leaf matter and shredded paper and cover it with a layer of dampened cardboard. Keep the worm bed moist but not too damp, you should not be able to squeeze any more than a couple of drops of water out of the bedding material. Source your worms from hardware stores, commercial worm growers or your local nursery (or the garden if you are using them for fishing). The common composting types are: Tiger, Indian Blue and Red Wriggler. Worms are usually sold by the thousand and you should only need 1,000-2000 worms to start with as they will multiply over time if conditions are right. General garden worms are not heavy feeders like the compost worms mentioned above, so the amount of organic matter you have to process (or the purpose of the worm farm) may determine which worms you use. Settle your worms in by gently spreading them over the surface and watch them burrow into their new bed. Remember to make sure your worms have enough bedding and that you keep your worm farm damp, covered and cool in summer and warmer in winter. If you notice pests like slugs and vinegar flies once your farm is up and running, dust the top with lime or wood ash and check you haven't added too much food. Feeding your worms Worms are happy on a simple diet. They like food scraps including vegetable and fruit peelings, tea leaves, crushed eggshells and bread. They also like small amounts of moistened paper and cardboard such as shredded boxes, junk mail, newspapers and egg cartons. Chop up their food as small as possible to help the worms consume it faster. Add your kitchen waste and some shredded paper regularly in small amounts and in one place at a time. Cover new food with a light cover of the worm bedding material or a handful of soil or compost. Only feed your worms when they have almost finished their last meal or it will start to rot (unless it has passed through the Bokashi process). Most advice is to not to feed worms dairy (butter and cheese), meat, fish or fat. I have found the Bokashi process makes all scraps palatable to the worms as it stops the rotting process. It is important to cover the Bokashi compost with a small amount of wood ash and a layer of worm castings or soil, to deter vinegar flies, other insects and vermin.
Points to remember; Worm populations are self-limiting; if the worms have space, suitable food and the conditions are good they should thrive. If you feel there are not a lot of worms in your bed then there may be a problem such as not enough food, space or another condition is effecting the worms such as being too hot, cold, wet or dry. Beware that overfeeding can also cause issues as the uneaten material can hot compost over-heating the worm bed. If this occurs stop feeding until the worms catch up with the food in the worm bed. Once the worm bed is full of castings you can separate the castings from the worms by only feeding at one end of the bed for a week or two. Most of the worms will make their way to the food leaving the other end free for you to harvest for use in your garden. If your worm farm captures worm liquid, empty the tray regularly using the tap. Water down the concentrate until it looks like weak tea and water your pot plants or vegetable beds. It's okay to transfer some worms into your garden when you empty the old bedding. You'll also be transferring worm eggs which will hatch in your garden and improve your soil. Use your castings to improve soil quality and for fertilising around plants. You can also add a sprinkle of worm castings onto pot plants. COMPOSTING You can make your own compost bin from timber planks, bricks, roofing iron or even a simple wire enclosure. To be effective at hot composting the enclosure should be at least 1 cubic metre in size to provide a suitable environment for the aerobic bacteria to break down the plant material. When choosing a position, think about how much waste you have and how much compost you will make. You don t want to be lugging the material all around the yard or working in cramped spaces. Look for a sunny position on open ground. The heap needs to be hot to eliminate pests and weeds. Earthworms need to be able to get in and out to aerate the soil and escape the heat.
Make sure your heap is in a spot where it's easy to get your wheelbarrow in and out. It's better to build an open compost heap all at once to make sure that all the organic matter 'ripens' together. To assist the composting process cover with hay, straw, cardboard, hessian or old carpet. Compost bins work best with a lid or cover to keep pets, rats and mice out of the compost, while keeping the moisture in. Compost ingredients; Healthy compost needs a mixture of different materials. Collect about three-quarters carbon-rich organic materials such as dry leaves, broken up twigs, dried grass clippings, shredded paper and straw. Collect about one-quarter nitrogen-rich organic material such as fruit and vegetable peelings, leftover food (not meat or dairy), fresh lawn clippings, fresh leaves, weeds and fresh manure. When you have collected these ingredients you are ready to make them into compost. Create your compost in layers. Firstly put down a thick layer (15 centimetres) of twigs or coarse mulch at the base for drainage and to help let air into the base. Add a layer of dried carbon-rich material (see compost ingredients above). Add a layer of moist nitrogen-rich material (see compost ingredients above). Add enough water to wet the materials without soaking them and a sprinkling of ols compost material or soil to start the composting process. Repeat the layers until your compost bin is full or your materials used up. Cover the compost with a lid, straw, hay, hessian, cardboard or old carpet. Leave the compost for a few weeks (longer in cold weather). It should initially heat up to anywhere between 40-60 C (which starts to break dow n the materials) then cool down. Give it a water once a week and turn every couple of weeks to add air. If your compost smells, it's probably not getting enough air. Add more carbon materials (see compost ingredients above) and turn it over with a garden fork to aerate the pile. In optimal conditions it will take 2-3 months for the compost pile to breakdown to a point where it is suitable for the garden. Enjoy capturing the resources you have at home and turning them into a fresh, health soil additive.