Was totally skeptical about bokashi composting but gave it a shot

I kept seeing people in this group talk about bokashi and I thought it sounded like a gimmick. Like how is fermenting food scraps in a bucket going to not smell? But I got a small kit from a local garden store for about $40 back in February. After 3 weeks of layering scraps with the bran, I opened it expecting the worst and it just smelled like pickles or something. I've done two full batches now and my plants are loving the end result. Has anyone else been surprised by a method they thought wouldn't work?

2 comments

2 Comments

noah_webb19h ago

The pickle smell thing threw me off too but now I kind of like it. Actually did a test where I buried the fermented scraps in one raised bed and used regular compost in another. The bokashi bed grew noticeably bigger tomato plants by midsummer. Something about the lactobacillus really wakes up the soil food web. Had a neighbor try it on her houseplants after I told her about it and she said the leaves got darker green within two weeks. Makes you wonder what else we've been overthinking in gardening.

margaretshah15h ago

My neighbor's bokashi bucket overflowed last spring and she just dumped the liquid straight on her roses not knowing any better. They went absolutely nuts with blooms like I've never seen in that yard before. Makes me think maybe we dilute this stuff way too much when a straight shot is what the plants really want, any of you tried going heavy on the bokashi tea?