What to do with your Bokashi when you live in a flat
February 24, 2009 at 8:55 am 7 comments
Bokashi works just fine in an apartment, you fill your bucket under the kitchen sink just like anyone else. But every two or three weeks you’ll have a fully fermented bucket on your hands and the question is what to do about it then.
I thought this thread was interesting for just that reason, a woman in Australia who has had her Bokashi going for a while and really likes it, but needs a Bokashi-mate to take over the full buckets from her. She’s used what she can in her balcony planters and now needs someone she can drop off the full buckets to.
Bingo! Seems like she got a response pretty much straight away from someone living in the neighbourhood. And if it worked for her I imagine it would work for thousands like her. And already is I’m sure, people are great at working quietly behind the scenes and finding simple ways of solving what is, after all, a very simple problem.
For a gardener its a godsend to be able to get hold of someone else’s Bokashi buckets. You just can’t produce enough of it yourself. So ask around, maybe you have a colleague at work or a neighbour, in-law or football club parent who’d love to team up with you and your bucket on a regular basis. Who know, maybe you’ll even get a bunch of fresh carrots in return!
And if the handover itself is tricky, you can always transfer the contents to a tightly-knotted plastic bag. Tip it into your neighbour’s compost bin yourself. Or they could keep a biggish plastic box with a tight lid in their garage/carport/back porch that you could tip your Bokashi compost into while they are out. There’s many solutions, I’d love to hear yours!
Entry filed under: Bokashi tales. Tags: apartment, bokashi, compost.
1.
bokashibill | March 7, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Looking at my neighbours’ neglected gardens, I think there’s plenty of scope for ‘borrowing’ a plot.
But I’ve also thought of a worm-bin, for disposal; I’m certain one could freecycle vermiculite as fast as one could generate it.
2.
jennyharlen | March 8, 2009 at 9:45 am
Hi Bill. Let us know how you get on there, it would be interesting to see if we have a new era of friendly neighbourly relations ahead of us, a little more give and take than many of us have seen for many years. Who knows, you may even inspire them to get cracking and do something with their backyards!
I’ve heard a lot of good things about worms loving Bokashi, but what do mean by freecycle? Spreading it straight on closest garden to hand? Interesting.
3.
bokashibill | March 19, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Ahh, freecycle! It’s a means for people to get rid of their unwanted stuff to people who do want it, and you’d be astonished what people want. Also, sometimes, by what people have and don’t want. Gardening supplies always go quickly.
As far as the garden goes: I’ve negotiated with a neighbour that I can use hers – window-boxes don’t offer much scope! -, and we’ll share the produce. All I have to do now is get on with it.
4.
bokashibill | March 19, 2009 at 6:16 pm
hmm. looks as though I didn’t format the url correctly – try http://www.freecycle.org/, or in the UK http://www.uk.freecycle.org/
5.
jennyharlen | March 19, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Ha! That’s really neat — hope we get to see a lot more freecycling then in due course.
And I’m sure you’ll have a great garden soon! Something to really look forward to. Send us an update in a few months!
6. Bokashi Cycle Blog » Bokashi Your Yard Waste! | June 18, 2009 at 10:40 pm
[...] Finally, I often hear from people who live in high rise buildings or flats without a backyard or land with the complaint that they can’t ferment their food waste. Look for a roof top garden. Do you have any larger planter boxes on a balcony? How about a neighbor or relative with a garden who would be thrilled to get the free nutrients to help out the garden patch. You’ve got to be creative….think about your friends and neighbors. You might be surprised at the possibilities. Take a look at this balcony and tell me you are not impressed. (What to do with your Bokashi when you live in a flat). [...]
7. Bokashi Cycle Blog » Bokashi Your Yard Waste! | August 17, 2010 at 8:25 am
[...] Finally, I often hear people who live in high rise buildings are flats without a backyard the complaint that they can’t ferment their food waste. You’ve got to be creative….think about your friends and neighbors. You might be surprised at the possibilities. Take a look at this balcony and tell me you are not impressed. (What to do with your Bokashi when you live in a flat). [...]