|
bokashi - A Japanese composting method. (in May RHS mag)
Has anyone come across Bokashi which is suposedly very good for food waste
and limits smells. And its suposed to be quick. I did find a site about it http://www.livingsoil.co.uk/ but then real peoples experiences tend to be more useful I find. thanks in advance amber |
bokashi - A Japanese composting method. (in May RHS mag)
On Thu, 6 May 2004 10:41:03 +0100, Amber Ormerod wrote:
Has anyone come across Bokashi which is suposedly very good for food waste and limits smells. And its suposed to be quick. I did find a site about it http://www.livingsoil.co.uk/ but then real peoples experiences tend to be more useful I find. A caution: it's all very well to think "ooooh, a Japanese non-smelly composting method", but don't forget that climate plays a role -- and the hot, wet, near-tropical Japanese summer is a far cry from cloudy England. To say nothing of the question, what kind of food wastes are being composted? Also: I find that whenever some maven starts touting this or that wonderful ethnic food, composting method, interior decoration style, take your pick it turns out to be, if you will excuse the expression, a crock of shit. Usually the hoopla over these things proves to be nothing but a journalistic gimmick to sell more magazines or books. So go into this with your eyes open and your b.s. detectors set to "highly sensitive". -- Rodger Whitlock Victoria, British Columbia, Canada [change "atlantic" to "pacific" and "invalid" to "net" to reply by email] |
bokashi - A Japanese composting method. (in May RHS mag)
In article ,
Rodger Whitlock wrote: On Thu, 6 May 2004 10:41:03 +0100, Amber Ormerod wrote: Has anyone come across Bokashi which is suposedly very good for food waste and limits smells. And its suposed to be quick. I did find a site about it http://www.livingsoil.co.uk/ but then real peoples experiences tend to be more useful I find. A caution: it's all very well to think "ooooh, a Japanese non-smelly composting method", but don't forget that climate plays a role -- and the hot, wet, near-tropical Japanese summer is a far cry from cloudy England. To say nothing of the question, what kind of food wastes are being composted? Some people object to the food that I am cooking for myself on the grounds that it is too smelly! Bombay duck - lovely, let's have a panful - and I had some wonderful small squid in Spain that had been sun-dried (fermenting the while) and were then deep-fried :-) Also: I find that whenever some maven starts touting this or that wonderful ethnic food, composting method, interior decoration style, take your pick it turns out to be, if you will excuse the expression, a crock of shit. Usually the hoopla over these things proves to be nothing but a journalistic gimmick to sell more magazines or books. So go into this with your eyes open and your b.s. detectors set to "highly sensitive". No need. Set it to "low" and it will still go off .... Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
bokashi - A Japanese composting method. (in May RHS mag)
"Amber Ormerod" wrote in message ... Has anyone come across Bokashi which is suposedly very good for food waste and limits smells. And its suposed to be quick. I did find a site about it http://www.livingsoil.co.uk/ but then real peoples experiences tend to be more useful I find. thanks in advance amber They are not doing anything a properly run wormerie or compost bin is doing The bacteria are in these naturally .......add urine to a compost heap ........mix its contents every 3 months and by the end of the year you will have brilliant compost .......leave it another year and you will have fine potting compost ........its all down to worms working |
bokashi - A Japanese composting method. (in May RHS mag)
"nambucca" wrote in message ... "Amber Ormerod" wrote in message ... Has anyone come across Bokashi which is suposedly very good for food waste and limits smells. And its suposed to be quick. I did find a site about it http://www.livingsoil.co.uk/ but then real peoples experiences tend to be more useful I find. thanks in advance amber They are not doing anything a properly run wormerie or compost bin is doing The bacteria are in these naturally .......add urine to a compost heap .......mix its contents every 3 months and by the end of the year you will have brilliant compost .......leave it another year and you will have fine potting compost ........its all down to worms working This is the problem. I don't have the physical strength to turn compost. So I have a wormery for food waste but sometimes I have too much for that or lots of one thing like orange skins. I was thinking more of a dump it and it will be compost kinda way of doing it. The info on composting like that is very vague. |
bokashi - A Japanese composting method. (in May RHS mag)
On Thu, 6 May 2004 10:41:03 +0100, Amber Ormerod wrote: Has anyone come across Bokashi which is suposedly very good for food waste and limits smells. "limits smells" implies some degree of pong. Why not make an ordinary compost heap, which doesn't. Janet |
bokashi - A Japanese composting method. (in May RHS mag)
In article , Amber Ormerod
writes This is the problem. I don't have the physical strength to turn compost. You don't need to. So I have a wormery for food waste but sometimes I have too much for that or lots of one thing like orange skins. I was thinking more of a dump it and it will be compost kinda way of doing it. The info on composting like that is very vague. It works. My heaps are about 1m x 1m x 1m. I add stuff to the top as it comes - stuff being veg waste, paper and carboard, grass mowings, weeds and anything else which seems rottable (like old cotton or woollen material). The only mixing I do is to try not to leave grass mowings more than 4 inches deep - if its deeper than that, at the earliest opportunity I bury something else in amongst them. When I've finally used all the compost in one of the other heaps, I take the unrotted stuff from the top of the newest heap and put it in the base of the empty heap so as to start a new heap. It's probably slower this way, but the result is incredibly good compared with what went on to the heap, and improves the soil a lot if used as a mulch about 6 inches deep. -- Kay Easton Edward's earthworm page: http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm |
bokashi - A Japanese composting method. (in May RHS mag)
"Amber Ormerod" wrote in message ...
Has anyone come across Bokashi which is suposedly very good for food waste and limits smells. And its suposed to be quick. I did find a site about it http://www.livingsoil.co.uk/ but then real peoples experiences tend to be more useful I find. I was given one of these as a present last year. Filled it up with kitchen waste and Bokashi starter last summer but nothing much happened. The bucket is quite big and it took several months for two of us to fill it with waste. A bit of liquid gathered in the bottom bucket (I diluted this and fed it to fruit) and some white mould grew on the kitchen waste. It was kept indoors in the kitchen, but it wasn't very warm. Left it sealed up over winter. No smell leaked from the buckets. Opened it up a few weeks ago when I was planting courgettes. There was a lot of liquid in the bottom bucket, and the contents of the top bucket were like vomit in smell, appearance and texture (identifiable lumps of food that turned to mush when I spooned them out). I held my nose and dug it into the soil underneath the seeds. It was nothing like normal compost. I might re-read instructions and try again this year. If I do, I will make sure I drain the liquid away regularly and chop up the waste before adding it. Anyone got any tips? Bruce |
bokashi - A Japanese composting method. (in May RHS mag)
The message
from "Amber Ormerod" contains these words: I don't have the physical strength to turn compost. Turning speeds the process, but it isn't essential. If you don't turn the heap, it works just as well if a little slower. Janet. |
bokashi - A Japanese composting method. (in May RHS mag)
"Amber Ormerod" wrote in message ... Has anyone come across Bokashi which is suposedly very good for food waste and limits smells. And its suposed to be quick. My impression is that it is simply a method of digging in half decomposed material and allowing the rotting process to continue underground. I did find a site about it http://www.livingsoil.co.uk/ but then real peoples experiences tend to be more useful I find. Franz |
bokashi - A Japanese composting method. (in May RHS mag)
"Rodger Whitlock" wrote in message ... On Thu, 6 May 2004 10:41:03 +0100, Amber Ormerod wrote: Has anyone come across Bokashi which is suposedly very good for food waste and limits smells. And its suposed to be quick. I did find a site about it http://www.livingsoil.co.uk/ but then real peoples experiences tend to be more useful I find. A caution: it's all very well to think "ooooh, a Japanese non-smelly composting method", but don't forget that climate plays a role -- and the hot, wet, near-tropical Japanese summer is a far cry from cloudy England. To say nothing of the question, what kind of food wastes are being composted? Also: I find that whenever some maven starts touting this or that wonderful ethnic food, composting method, interior decoration style, take your pick it turns out to be, if you will excuse the expression, a crock of shit. Usually the hoopla over these things proves to be nothing but a journalistic gimmick to sell more magazines or books. So go into this with your eyes open and your b.s. detectors set to "highly sensitive". I agree entirely with your whole post. Franz |
bokashi - A Japanese composting method. (in May RHS mag)
"Janet Baraclough.." wrote in message ... The message from "Amber Ormerod" contains these words: I don't have the physical strength to turn compost. Turning speeds the process, but it isn't essential. If you don't turn the heap, it works just as well if a little slower. I was kinda thinking that might be the case so we got two of the bay composters to take that into consideration. We had fridge problems after moving in September and so have been throwing alot of veggies away and I think this has had an effect like filling the wormery very quickly and ment there is more food waste in the compost than there would normally be. (hence worried about the smell and weight. I turned the grass/leaf heap ok) |
bokashi - A Japanese composting method. (in May RHS mag)
"Franz Heymann" wrote in message ... "Amber Ormerod" wrote in message ... Has anyone come across Bokashi which is suposedly very good for food waste and limits smells. And its suposed to be quick. My impression is that it is simply a method of digging in half decomposed material and allowing the rotting process to continue underground. I did find a site about it http://www.livingsoil.co.uk/ but then real peoples experiences tend to be more useful I find. Maybe I will give the worms more chance. Thanks again for the advice. |
bokashi - A Japanese composting method. (in May RHS mag)
In message , Kay Easton
writes In article , Amber Ormerod writes This is the problem. I don't have the physical strength to turn compost. You don't need to. Though it does help get a more even composting action. The top surface left for a week otherwise ends up too dry and doesn't rot. I have a wormery for food waste but sometimes I have too much for that or lots of one thing like orange skins. I was thinking more of a dump it and it will be compost kinda way of doing it. The info on composting like that is very vague. It works. My heaps are about 1m x 1m x 1m. I add stuff to the top as it comes - stuff being veg waste, paper and carboard, grass mowings, weeds and anything else which seems rottable (like old cotton or woollen material). The only mixing I do is to try not to leave grass mowings more than 4 inches deep - if its deeper than that, at the earliest opportunity I bury something else in amongst them. Hmmm... I break all the rules on this one for grass cuttings and add about 2-3 cubic metres of grass clippings a week to mine. If I have woody stuff I want rid off I layer it, but if not I pile it high and let it go. Typically it reaches 70C internally after 3-4days and requires one gentle turning to put the outer bits into the moist centre. Smells slightly sweet stale like silage. Once hot it will destroy most woody and semi-woody stems pretty effectively. I think the issue it really when you add small amounts of grass at a time - then it goes anaerobic, smelly, all horrible and slimy.. When I've finally used all the compost in one of the other heaps, I take the unrotted stuff from the top of the newest heap and put it in the base of the empty heap so as to start a new heap. The top is never as good as the bulk - too dry. I do the same. It also provides and innoculation of the right fungi and bacteria to start the new heap off well. It's probably slower this way, but the result is incredibly good compared with what went on to the heap, and improves the soil a lot if used as a mulch about 6 inches deep. Indeed. The problem sometimes is finding places to put it! Regards, -- Martin Brown |
bokashi - A Japanese composting method. (in May RHS mag)
In message , Nick Maclaren
writes In article , Rodger Whitlock wrote: On Thu, 6 May 2004 10:41:03 +0100, Amber Ormerod wrote: Has anyone come across Bokashi which is suposedly very good for food waste and limits smells. And its suposed to be quick. I did find a site about it http://www.livingsoil.co.uk/ but then real peoples experiences tend to be more useful I find. A caution: it's all very well to think "ooooh, a Japanese non-smelly composting method", but don't forget that climate plays a role -- and the hot, wet, near-tropical Japanese summer is a far cry from cloudy England. To say nothing of the question, what kind of food wastes are being composted? In Japan kitchen waste will be mostly rice. Virtually no fat and a tiny amount of meat. Nothing at all like a UK diet. Some people object to the food that I am cooking for myself on the grounds that it is too smelly! Bombay duck - lovely, let's have a panful - and I had some wonderful small squid in Spain that had been sun-dried (fermenting the while) and were then deep-fried :-) If you like those have you tried "Nattou"? Japanese fermented soya beans. Think of baked beans in Evo-stick smelling like your dustbin - it tastes better than it smells but most people don't get that far. Regards, -- Martin Brown |
bokashi - A Japanese composting method. (in May RHS mag)
In article ,
Martin Brown wrote: Some people object to the food that I am cooking for myself on the grounds that it is too smelly! Bombay duck - lovely, let's have a panful - and I had some wonderful small squid in Spain that had been sun-dried (fermenting the while) and were then deep-fried :-) If you like those have you tried "Nattou"? Japanese fermented soya beans. Think of baked beans in Evo-stick smelling like your dustbin - it tastes better than it smells but most people don't get that far. No. I am unlikely to go back to Japan again in the near future, but will see if I can get some to try. They sound just like my sort of thing :-) Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
bokashi - A Japanese composting method. (in May RHS mag)
"Amber Ormerod" wrote in message ... "Franz Heymann" wrote in message ... "Amber Ormerod" wrote in message ... Has anyone come across Bokashi which is suposedly very good for food waste and limits smells. And its suposed to be quick. My impression is that it is simply a method of digging in half decomposed material and allowing the rotting process to continue underground. I did find a site about it http://www.livingsoil.co.uk/ but then real peoples experiences tend to be more useful I find. Maybe I will give the worms more chance. Thanks again for the advice. Coincidence? There's a write up about on Bokashi composting on RHS' may "The Garden." (and a lot of stuff about naturalised planting too (-;) they mention The Coach House Trust (Glasgow) Maybe they can help. Patrick |
bokashi - A Japanese composting method. (in May RHS mag)
"Martin Brown" wrote in message ... In message , Nick Maclaren writes In article , Rodger Whitlock wrote: On Thu, 6 May 2004 10:41:03 +0100, Amber Ormerod wrote: Has anyone come across Bokashi which is suposedly very good for food waste and limits smells. And its suposed to be quick. I did find a site about it http://www.livingsoil.co.uk/ but then real peoples experiences tend to be more useful I find. A caution: it's all very well to think "ooooh, a Japanese non-smelly composting method", but don't forget that climate plays a role -- and the hot, wet, near-tropical Japanese summer is a far cry from cloudy England. To say nothing of the question, what kind of food wastes are being composted? In Japan kitchen waste will be mostly rice. Virtually no fat and a tiny amount of meat. Nothing at all like a UK diet. Some people object to the food that I am cooking for myself on the grounds that it is too smelly! Bombay duck - lovely, let's have a panful - and I had some wonderful small squid in Spain that had been sun-dried (fermenting the while) and were then deep-fried :-) If you like those have you tried "Nattou"? Japanese fermented soya beans. Think of baked beans in Evo-stick smelling like your dustbin - it tastes better than it smells but most people don't get that far. I have heard of natto its suposed ot be good to help stop strokes but tastes rather like some of the smellyer cheeses. I asked a Japanese lady once if she knew of them and she turned her nose up and saidyes, but people from her area never ate them. They look very grim! |
bokashi - A Japanese composting method. (in May RHS mag)
"tuin man" wrote in message ... "Amber Ormerod" wrote in message ... "Franz Heymann" wrote in message ... "Amber Ormerod" wrote in message ... Has anyone come across Bokashi which is suposedly very good for food waste and limits smells. And its suposed to be quick. My impression is that it is simply a method of digging in half decomposed material and allowing the rotting process to continue underground. I did find a site about it http://www.livingsoil.co.uk/ but then real peoples experiences tend to be more useful I find. Maybe I will give the worms more chance. Thanks again for the advice. Coincidence? There's a write up about on Bokashi composting on RHS' may "The Garden." (and a lot of stuff about naturalised planting too (-;) they mention The Coach House Trust (Glasgow) Maybe they can help. Thats where I heard about it and hence why I asked (starting this thread). I thought if it was in the RHS mag/ on trial it might be ok. |
bokashi - A Japanese composting method. (in May RHS mag)
In article , Martin Brown
writes In message , Kay Easton writes In article , Amber Ormerod writes This is the problem. I don't have the physical strength to turn compost. You don't need to. Though it does help get a more even composting action. The top surface left for a week otherwise ends up too dry and doesn't rot. Oh yes, I'm not denying that it helps. But you can compost without, as I do, and apart from the thatch on top you get good compost - I'd hate people to feel depressed about their composting prospects if for any reason they can't turn it regularly. I think the issue it really when you add small amounts of grass at a time - then it goes anaerobic, smelly, all horrible and slimy.. That's a good point. You mean in small amounts there isn't enough bulk to generate the really high temperatures, so you get layers of slime if the grass is too thick, but in huge quantities enough heat is generated to break it down nicely? That would explain why some urglers report as you do that they have no problem with grass clippings whereas I and some others find ourselves with inch thick compressed grass slime. -- Kay Easton Edward's earthworm page: http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm |
bokashi - A Japanese composting method. (in May RHS mag)
On 5/7/04 9:40 AM, in article , "Franz
Heymann" wrote: "Rodger Whitlock" wrote in message ... On Thu, 6 May 2004 10:41:03 +0100, Amber Ormerod wrote: Has anyone come across Bokashi which is suposedly very good for food waste and limits smells. And its suposed to be quick. I did find a site about it http://www.livingsoil.co.uk/ but then real peoples experiences tend to be more useful I find. A caution: it's all very well to think "ooooh, a Japanese non-smelly composting method", but don't forget that climate plays a role -- and the hot, wet, near-tropical Japanese summer is a far cry from cloudy England. To say nothing of the question, what kind of food wastes are being composted? Also: I find that whenever some maven starts touting this or that wonderful ethnic food, composting method, interior decoration style, take your pick it turns out to be, if you will excuse the expression, a crock of shit. Usually the hoopla over these things proves to be nothing but a journalistic gimmick to sell more magazines or books. So go into this with your eyes open and your b.s. detectors set to "highly sensitive". I agree entirely with your whole post. Franz Gosh, Franz, at your age I'm surprised that you have no insight to offer. Do you really believe in his whole post? The whole post? All of it? "Entirely with your whole post" you agree....? Hummmm....I find that interesting. Gary Fort Langley, BC Canada |
bokashi - A Japanese composting method. (in May RHS mag)
On Sun, 09 May 2004 10:01:45 GMT, gary davis wrote:
On 5/7/04 9:40 AM, in article , "Franz Heymann" wrote: "Rodger Whitlock" wrote in message ... [opinion] I agree entirely with your whole post. Franz Gosh, Franz, at your age I'm surprised that you have no insight to offer. Do you really believe in his whole post? The whole post? All of it? "Entirely with your whole post" you agree....? Hummmm....I find that interesting. It's a devious plot to take over the world, one urgler at a time. Today he agrees with my post, tomorrow he sends me all his money. Next! -- Rodger Whitlock Victoria, British Columbia, Canada [change "atlantic" to "pacific" and "invalid" to "net" to reply by email] |
bokashi - A Japanese composting method. (in May RHS mag)
In message , Kay Easton
writes In article , Martin Brown writes In message , Kay Easton I think the issue it really when you add small amounts of grass at a time - then it goes anaerobic, smelly, all horrible and slimy.. That's a good point. You mean in small amounts there isn't enough bulk to generate the really high temperatures, so you get layers of slime if the grass is too thick, but in huge quantities enough heat is generated to break it down nicely? That would explain why some urglers report as you do that they have no problem with grass clippings whereas I and some others find ourselves with inch thick compressed grass slime. A couple of related points. A neighbour who has much more grass (~2 acres) also has problems with his grass not composting well - so there may well be an ideal amount. I also try to make sure that the grass put on the compost heap is nicely fluffed up, not too dry (or wet) and not in any way compressed or compacted. It slumps down naturally after a couple of days. I had some large scrap cardboard boxes 6" deep so I tried one on top of the heap and the top surface stayed moist and got hot too. This may be an alternative for folk averse to turning the heap - to add a simple cardboard box lid! Regards, -- Martin Brown |
bokashi - A Japanese composting method. (in May RHS mag)
|
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:43 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
GardenBanter