Composting has been around long before any modern forms of farming and gardening. Creating a good compost remains one of the most beneficial ways to create and improve soil health for whatever you are growing. Even though compost is essentially just decomposed matter, there are still ways to produce a better yielding and nutrient-rich mix for your garden! Let’s discuss some important steps to take to make sure your organic waste is providing maximum benefits to your garden or crop.
Aerobic Method:
The turners and tumblers for composting are designed to allow air into the materials you wish to compost. Compost, by definition is the aerobic breakdown of organic matter. It is a rotting process. During this process, turning the contraption often and adding water keeps the materials moist. Adding EM-1® to a compost pile will help to increase the air flow into the pile, increasing the aerobic microbe populations in the pile. This means you can get more air transfer in a pile with less turning...or less work!
Static Pile (Anaerobic Method):
This is usually for larger items like sticks and leaves that will take a longer time to break down than grass and food scraps. These piles are usually left for about a year and may be turned once or twice during that time.
Trenching:
Get rid of those piles and just dig a hole or trench. After digging a hole or trench that will hold all the organic materials you want to break down, simply back-fill the hold with the materials. As you add them to the hole, spray them until moist with a mixture of water and EM-1®
The Bokashi Method (anaerobic):
Bokashi is a Japanese word that means fermented organic matter. It was developed in the early 1980s by Dr. Teruo Higa, a professional at the University of Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan.
With the Bokashi compost method you can compost meat, bones, dairy and food scraps and turn waste into nutrient rich compost in 4-6 weeks, not months!
This process is unique and different from traditional composting methods because it is anaerobic not aerobic. Using an airtight compost bin and EM® Bokashi ferments organic waste fast. The bacteria found in the bran also produce lactic acid during the process, which lowers the pH and inhibits the growth of some pathogenic microorganisms.
Sprinkle a layer of EM® Bokashi in the bottom of the compost bin before adding organic waste. Sprinkle over each new layer of waste added and seal with airtight lid.