Review: Bokashi Organko Essential

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I am always looking for ways to improve my soil at the allotment. It’s not the best and is very chalky and although it drains well it can be as hard as rock. So I have spent the last 5 years doing everything I can to improve it.

I am a avid composer and have bins dotted around my allotment at every available space , I even have one on Katie’s plot!

Those of you familiar with Dorset county life will also know we hate waste. So we have always composted kitchen waste and peelings etc, so you can imagine our excitement when we found the Bokashi Organko bin. Because you can compost food scraps “ yes it's true,” you can put in raw or cooked meats , fish, cheese the list is endless. No liquids or large bones. So you can now cut your food waste down to a bare minimum and improve your soil at the same time.

I know what you're thinking,… this sounds like a yucky smelly job, rotting food! But it’s not, it doesn’t smell!

So how does it work?

We collect food scraps in our food caddies as normal, but instead of putting it out for the food waste collection we pop it into the Bokashi Organko bin. You press the food waste down firmly with the press gadget provided and then sprinkle the magic! With the bin you get a bag of Bokashi bran ( you can buy top up bags at a very reasonable price) Sprinkle a small amount of bran over the food and then replace the lid. Keep doing this in layers as you produce food waste.

Now I have to be honest, I did stand back the first time I took the lid off my bin as I expected to be bowled over by a rotting stench. But what I found was that it didn't smell and was covered with a white fluffy bloom.

This is because the Bokashi bran contains lactobacillus, a probiotic starter culture that helps to break down food waste. So the food doesn’t rot, it ferments. So no stinky mess! But there is more!

As it breaks down it produces a liquid which naturally drains down to the bottom of the bin. We save our empty milk cartons and draw off the liquid via the tap on the side of the bin and keep it as it makes the most amazing plant feed. It needs to be used as a concentrate, so water it down!

So once the Bokashi bin is full and has the white funny thing happening I take mine to the allotments and I make a hole in the centre of my compost and bury it the middle of a bin and then cover it over ( you can even sprinkle some magic bran in your bins to accelerate the breaking down of the contents if you want to.

It makes fantastic compost. I use it to feed my soil. Because when I look after my soil and feed it well, in return it feeds me and my family!

So getting a Bokashi Organko bin has been a win-win-win! Less waste , liquid plant feed and compost!