Feeding the Earth: Bokashi Style

Agata Grzegorzek
Apr 3
2 min read

Updated: Apr 4

Spring has arrived, and we are sowing, planting, and waiting for the bloom!

This season is hectic for us, so we're focusing our energy with intention, starting from our plants. We’re always exploring and testing new solutions. This time we wanted to improve our soil fertility so we decided to explore compost methods.

Don’t waste - Compost!

As Formidable Vegetable sang, “There Is No Such Thing As Waste” – and we truly resonate with this permaculture principle. Instead of throwing food scraps away, we give them a second life as nutritious fertilizer for our plants. That just seems like a win-win, especially when we want to maximize our reforesting effort.

Composting isn’t new to many, and it wasn’t to us either – but we got curious about what other composting methods were out there. That’s how Bokashi composting came into play. In the past, we got it from our friends from Microvida, but the time of making our own finally came!

This Japanese method of anaerobic composting doesn’t require oxygen. Instead, it uses a mix of microorganisms to ferment organic matter. The first step is to inoculate the organic matter with yeast, lactic acid bacteria, and water to start the fermentation process.

How Is Bokashi Different?

Unlike traditional composting, Bokashi ferments organic matter rather than decomposing it. That means it doesn’t produce the typical compost smell, and better yet, the fermented material can be buried directly into garden soil without further maturation.

And here’s the best part: it’s fast! That speed, along with its ability to improve soil fertility, is why we love using Bokashi.

Our Secret Bokashi Recipe

Making our own Bokashi was even more fun than we expected. From learning the process to mixing the ingredients and finally using it while planting, it was all deeply satisfying. Here is how we did it:

The Essence

We began by diluting effective microorganisms (E.M.™) in a spray bottle with water. E.M.™ is a natural, probiotic-based technology developed in Japan in 1982, created as an alternative to synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

Special Mixture

Then, we mixed sugar and yeast in a bucket of water. This mixture is the heart of the fermentation: yeast ferments sugar into bioavailable CO2, which plants can absorb later.

Layers of Bokashi

Next, we layered local forest soil, manure, crushed corn, and wood chips, adding our E.M.™ and the diluted yeast in between the layers. We chose soil from our local forest because it’s rich in native fungi and beneficial bacteria — a great boost for compost quality.