Creating my Bokashi Container

After looking around online for a Bokashi compost container, I decided to make my own. As I mentioned in my last post, I bought 2 buckets and lids from Home Depot. The next obstacle was finding the appropriate spigot for the drainage area.

On my first bucket, I cut off the top of an old Burt’s Bees lotion container and drilled an appropriately sized hole in the bottom of the Home Depot bucket using a Dremell  (a neat little tool). I inserted the top through the hole and used Gorilla Glue to keep it in place. Crazy Glue would work just as well, but I had Gorilla Glue on hand.

I had to shave down the outer perimeter of the cap in order to screw the cap onto the spigot. The shape of the bucket prevented the cap from fitting flush onto the opening, but the Dremel solved that problem.

After gluing the cap to the bucket, I caulked around the inside of the spigot to prevent leaking. I tested the sealant by putting a couple of inches of water in the bucket. All systems were go!

Strain and Drain

I was nearly finished when I realized I needed a straining mechanism to separate the fermented compost from the liquid at the bottom of the bucket.

The bottom diameter of the bucket is 10 inches so I needed something with a diameter of about 10.5 inches to allow enough drainage room. Enter the Dollar Store.

I went to the Dollar Store and picked up a microwave plate cover. The diameter is just large enough to fit the bucket bottom on a slight slant. The slant is perfect because the high end of the slant hits just above the spigot and the low end about a half-inch from the bucket bottom.

The microwave plate cover already had holes, but I drilled several more. Some folks forgo the spigot and use two buckets instead. They drill holes in the bottom of one bucket and sit it inside a second bucket. This way when the liquid drains, they just lift the first bucket to access the liquid.

Since my Bokashi container will be stored under the kitchen sink, I needed to use the spigot option because my cabinet doesn’t have the height to accommodate two 5-gallon buckets.

Now, all I need is my Bokashi Mix and I’m ready to go. According to the retailer, the mix was shipped yesterday, so I should be up and running by next week.

Second Bokashi Container

The cost to make the first container: Less than $5. On the second container, I think I’ll use the spigot from the 2.5 Gallon Poland Springs water jug. I bought the Poland Springs water for use in constructing a self-watering system for my container garden. However, after the trip to the Dollar Store, I saw a host of items that might work just as well, if not better than the water jug.

Since I’ll be gardening in more than one container, the Poland Springs bottle won’t go to waste.