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I’m slowly working towards some simplicity within the home, but hey! It’s a lot of hard work!

I love having a go at growing my own veges and always use herbs fresh from my garden. I try to plant from seed whenever I can and have learnt to save and share my own seed for the following year. I make Award Winning preserves and pickles; and my husband brews Award Winning boutique beers as well. I love to stockpile and try to limit quick trips to the shops. I dabble in bread making and enjoy making my own stocks too.

I enjoy feeding my family good hearty meals, nothing like those tiny restaurant stacks you have to look for on the plate. My husband maintains our vehicles and machinery and we both enjoy fabricating on a small scale mostly relying on metal & timber recyclers for any materials needed.


While I don’t always have time to reply to comments, I love reading them. I hope you enjoy your stay and I hope you learn something new because I love sharing what I learn, and I'm always looking for another new skill myself.

Cheers!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Bokashi Bucket made at home

Today I made my own bokashi bucket. The two buckets cost me $3. The tap was just under $9 and I had a large rubber ring left over from homebrewing.

YOU WILL NEED THE FOLLOWING..........

  • 2 buckets of equal size (one must have a lid)
  • water crock tap ( I got mine at Bunnings for just under $10)
  • piece of wire mesh (from old flyscreen - I get mine at the tip for .50c)
  • drill with small drill bit for drainage holes, and large drill bit to suit tap ( My largest drill bit was not quite big enough, so I just manipulated the drill bit while the drill was running, to stretch the hole)
  • Bokashi powder
  • kitchen waste
  1. Drill drainage holes in bucket that has a lid. This is your top bucket.
  2. Trace base of bucket on wire mesh, and cut out slightly smaller. Fit in base of bucket.
  3. Drill one large hole equal to tap, slightly off the base of the bottom bucket. Clean up scarfing around hole with a sharp knife.
  4. Fit one clear washer on tap, then insert tap into hole.
  5. Fit other clear washer on to tap on inside of bucket. Tighten with tap bolt.
  6. Check for leaks by putting a bit of water in bucket and turning on tap. Make sure you have no water leaks.
  7. Place large rubber ring over opening of top bucket to sit under lip.   this will help make a seal between the two buckets....see the photos....
  8. Insert top bucket into bottom bucket.
  9. You now have your very own Bokashi bucket to recycle your kitchen scraps...
  10. Place layers of kitchen scraps in bucket and sprinkle Bokashi powder on each layer.
  11. Remove any liquid from tap as it appears. Once it starts making liquid, empty it daily.
  12. When the bucket is full leave closed for another week.
  13. Dig a hole in garden to empty contents of Bokashi bucket. Bury contents, making sure it is completely covered...check for compost in about 4 weeks.

I have decided to buy the bokashi grain/powder ( $17 for 5kg) to start with and may look at making my own further down the track. Right now I just need to get some good compost going for my garden.


I asked my local greengrocer if I could have a box of vegetable waste...I received a large box of fruits and vegetable scraps that I spread on the lawn. I then got my husband to run over it all with the lawnmower....It mulched up to just under half the box full.

I have placed the mulch into the bucket in layers while sprinkling the bokashi powder on each layer as I go. Pack down each layer as you go. 

If you would like to  make your own bokashi bucket feel free to look at the photos, it took less than half an hour to make.

I will be posting more photos as the contents breaks down, so check back occasionally to see how its all going.

7 comments:

  1. Where did you get the tap from? I was looking for something similar in Bunnings and no one could help me. What section were they in?

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  2. Hi Emily, they are hard to find, and your right, they couldn't help me with this when I went looking for them except send me to the garden area....anyway you will find them where the water crocks and water filter containers are...if your at the Shellharbour branch, when you are standing next to them, you can see directly to the timber areas cash register. They were in a narrow cardboard box, up above my head. Good luck! Are you planning on making a Bokashi Bucket.....Mine is ready to empty out into the compost on the weekend....after all this time....a whole months kitchen waste plus what I initially put in there at the start...I can't get over how much it has kept reducing each time I went to fill it, the next time it is down to about 3/4 full again. Amazing.

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  3. Well my bucket is done. I feel very proud. Now, to wait for the tea.

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  4. Oh that's excellent Emily...You should be proud of yourself too.....
    I got tea after 8 days, but I also added a full box of veg waste chopped with the lawnmower to start with.......Oh...and don't use the tea straight....I add a cupful to a full watering can....this is all you need. I was so excited when I got my first cup, actually I think it was half a cup...lol

    Check out yesterday's post TIME TO BURY WHAT'S IN THE BOKASHI BUCKET...

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  5. Thanks, i am now have my eye on the seaweed fertilizer. Just neeed to source the right sort of bucket.

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  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  7. You should be able to use any bucket with a lid, just use the same tap as you did for the Bokashi Bucket and have the bag hanging inside from the lid.

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