Do you compost? I have composted for a very long time. Sometimes I do it well and other times I have to admit that my compost heap suffers. In the long run that means my garden doesn't get the compost it should and the poor vegetables have to struggle.
I did have a Bokashi Bucket and while it was good, I found the addition of the composting accelerator (Bokashi mix) became quite expensive. (Maybe we used too much) When we moved house and everything went into storage for 4 months, the bucket went to friends. It has taken us a time to settle into our new place, meaning I have only just got around to replacing the bucket. But this time I have bought an Urban Composter. Thanks to one of my local shops, 'Waste Not Want Not". They have a brilliant supply of everything imaginable to help you save money and take care of the environment.
Rather than using a Bokashi mix, the accelerator comes in liquid form and you give it about 4 bursts of spray when you add scraps to it. I think you can use the Bokashi mix but I thought I would try the spray first to see how it compares price wise as well as efficiency. I have just filled up the first bucket, although I should really have cut up the scraps a bit finer to aid in their decomposition and rather than put it into my compost bin I am going to dig a hole in my woodland garden and bury it. This is what the full bucket looks like - and there's no smell!
The other bonus is that you can turn on that tap at the bottom of the bucket and get out this luscious dark brown liquid that you can use as a fertiliser! Wicked!
One of the biggest problems we face in our garden is the soil, or lack of it. Basically we have a lot of rock and shale and very little soil. Although I have brought in tons, and I mean tons of soil and compost, there are still areas of the garden that are badly in need of some help.
It feels good knowing that the bits of food I don't use in my cooking are being put back into the garden and not being wasted.
If you have any composting tips, can you please, please let me know by leaving a comment. I might have been composting for a while but I am no expert! OK time to dig that hole!
You should look into "burying" your bokashi waste above ground. That way you can enrich the soil below, at the same time as generating lots of soil to spread around your garden. I am currently "generating" soil in boxes near my fruit trees. This has the added benefit of nourishing the soil and roots in my garden. I also get to move my soil generators (Open Bottomed shipping crates) to different spots throughout the season.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. I have a compost heap which is above ground mainly used for garden waste. Using household waste above ground tends to encourage snakes and in the past I have had that happen. That is why I decided to keep the two separate.
ReplyDeleteNice article Cyndy. I have been composting from many years and i feel composting is the best way to deal with your waste.Composting helps us in nourishing soil and plant growth.You garden will look more beautiful with beautiful flowers when soil is proper nourished.Thanks for sharing your views.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments. I really should write an update about my composting as I have to compost because I live in an area with almost no top soil, so I am desperately trying to maintain and grow my garden. This summer my vegetable garden has been a disaster due to the high temperatures and lack of rain so I am right in the middle of installing raised beds which I have found to be more successful in the past because they retain water so much better. But without compost, I don't much in my garden would survive.
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ReplyDeletehow did you make the spray work? i juts bought the composter but the spray seems blocked ;-( thank you
Hi Anne, I had no problem getting it to work. You could try taking out the whole spray part and running it under some hot water. Is there a nozzle on it that needs to be turned? I am using the Bokashi Mix on mine at the moment because I was given a couple of bags by a friend and I don't have any spray left in the cupboard to check the nozzle. If you have a lot of problems, try emailing the distributor or take it back to where you bought it from. Good luck!
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