Composting alternatives not just a load of rubbish
At this month’s A&P Show, TDC’s environmental education officer Claire Webster took great delight in demonstrating to visitors the many magical ways of composting.
The keen gardener can expend varying degrees of effort in turning food scraps and garden clippings into good-quality compost, or choose the lazy option of just leaving it to rot on a pile at the back of the garden. The lazy composter can be saved by letting microbes or worms do the work.
“I was absolutely delighted in the interest people showed in composting,” said Claire. “Bokashi is a fabulous option for people in baches or small households. For holidaymakers it can be inside without being smelly while they’re here on holiday, and when they leave they can just leave it or bury it.”
Bokashi works anaerobically through a fermentation process. While a compost heap takes about a year to compost, a worm farm six to eight months, Bokashi turns scraps into compost in just two months.
It uses a two-bucket system: one bucket with holes in the bottom slides into the second, which collects the liquid. Each layer of added scraps is pushed down and sprinkled with a thin layer of microbes housed in a mix of sawdust and molasses which get active once they hit dampness. Once full, the lid is pushed on firmly and the content is left to ferment for 10-14 days. It is now ready to be buried in the garden and the diluted liquid can be used as fertiliser. It is fantastic for drains and septic tanks.
The worms require a bit more attention but, once a consistent routine has been established, a worm farm poses no worries, says Claire. Worms produce a particularly nutrient-rich compost, a powerful ingredient in making potting mix, and worm pee for instant fertiliser.
“Worms need a bit more work and regular feeding, but whatever size food you give them that’s fine and the worms will multiply, but you have to be consistent. If you feed them only once in a while the worms will die and the food scraps will rot. The tiger worms are different from our earthworms; they eat food, not earth, and they need 50 per cent food and 50 per cent shredded paper, which they use to make their bedding.” The worms eat anything green but don’t like too many onions, citrus or meat scraps.
A worm farm can be made from any suitable container with drainage, such as an old bath or a set of drawers with a hole punched into the drawers, or commercial worm farms are available and cost about $150. A Bokashi set costs about $75, or less if you find buckets that fit. A bag of Zing activator costs $10 and lasts about three months.
Ina Holst
