DIY Bokashi Composter

For the past year I have been researching composting methods.  I have a VERY small yard.  So, my needs are limited by that.

I tried using a trashcan with holes drilled in the bottom that I rolled periodically.  What happened with that.....  a RAT (from my crazy neighbor's yard) chewed a hole in the bottom.  I DO NOT want to have the crazy people's infestation on my property.

So...I gave up for a bit.

Then, I found bokashi composting.

After doing a lot of searching, I determined this was the method for us. Supposedly, bokashi can handle all types of food products, meat, dairy, vegetable...whatever, without paying attention to any green/brown ratio thing.

For the last 6 weeks, I have been collecting our family food products in large ziploc bags and putting them in the freezer.

And....here comes the fun part....I researched how to make my own bokashi composter.  And I made one!!!!

Here are all the steps....

I started with two buckets that I bought from my local home repair supply center. They cost me $5 each.

I drilled holes in the bottom of one.

Then I used some left-over screening to cover the bottom of it.

The big deal was adding a spout to the bottom of the 2nd barrel.  With a great deal of advice from my FIL plumber, I put a faucet into the 2nd barrel to drain the liquid. 

I drew a circle around the faucet that I intended to use. 

Then....because I didn't have a 3/4-inch drill bit, I drilled small holes and then used the bit to ream out the edge of the remaining bits...until the faucet/spigot fit.

Once it fit, I used a waterproof, silicone sealant to seal off the spigot.  I also used the sealant on the screw holes that held the spigot in place.  Once it was in, I also used the sealant on the inside openings to seal them off.

24 hours later... the bokashi composter was ready to use.

I took all the bags I had stashed in the freezer out.  I alternated each gallon bag with a handful of the Bokashi mixture.

 When I was done, with the 8 bags, this is what it looked like.

Then...because Bokashi is an anerobic process (ie, needs to have no oxygen), I put a kitchen trash bag over top.

 Then I carefully filled the top of the bag with water....creating a seal over the to-be-composted waste.

And lastly, I placed the lid over the whole thing.

Will update in a few weeks when the composting portion of the hopeful experiment is completed.