Wicking Bed Media Comparison and Conclusion

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This is an addendum to the post Setting up the wicking bed with modified large capacity reservoir
 

There are a number of ways you can go about building a wicking bed. Many of the decisions involved are to do with what media you will use.

Living on a limited budget I spent countless hours looking at free alternatives to the many options available. Some friends had to sandbag their house from flooding so once they were done, rather than throw the bags in the tip, I asked if I could re-use it.

When the time came to start filling the wicking beds I had a quick attempt at washing the free sand as it was extremely silt & clay laden. The process took so long, used far too much water for my liking and the sand left was still not cleaned to my satisfaction. So I came to the decision that I’d have to purchase the wicking media, but how to do it without breaking the bank? Some serious number crunching was needed.

 

    THE LOWER RESERVOIR WICKING AREA

DESIGN
I chose to use plastic crates wrapped in geofabric for two reasons. Firstly it would create a large void where only water would sit, allowing for greater availability of water, especially during periods like holidays where I wasn’t at home for a week or two. Secondly the more space taken up by the water reservoirs meant less wicking media was required to be purchased. So to maximise this I opted for two large voluminous cavities per bed. I calculated that the double chambers would use up around 125L (33gal) which was half the volume of the reservoir area so that was pretty awesome.

 

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The Mini Bokashi Project – (Dipping My Toes)

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Bokashi! No it’s not a weird Japanese game show, although it was created by Japanese Professor Dr. Teruo Higa. Bokashi is the fermentation composting of kitchen waste in an anaerobic bin. Normally anaerobic breakdown of material involves putrefying which means the horrible rotting stench of decomposition.

I had read about Bokashi composting and liked the idea but was put off by the idea of the expensive little bin (~$130 at the time) and the need to continually buy their special EM (Essential/Effective Microbes) powder. You essentially put kitchen waste in the bin and sprinkle the special EM powder over the waste to inoculate it with the microbes. Then seal the bin shut from air. Each time you add a thick layer of scraps you add the EM powder. It’s so efficient you can even compost meat and fat in there! Pretty much any solid kitchen waste except bones.

The leachate juice is an amazing concentrated fertiliser that you dilute with water and feed to your plants. The juice is also a great drain cleaner as the bacteria will feast on the food goop you’ve let slip down the kitchen sink. Once the bin is full, the fermented waste can be buried in the ground where the bacteria continue their work. They rapidly breaking down the organic matter faster than would normally happen. The bokashi waste can also be fed to worms so can complement vermiposting.

 

In January 2012 I got really lucky and happened to pick up a Bokashi bin on freecycle for the amazing price of zero dollars. The lid needed a little silicone and the tap wasn’t very well built but it was a jump start into a whole new world that I would otherwise have put off doing.
It doesn’t look very pretty but it was free and it’s been sitting outside my kitchen door fermenting for me for two and a half years, with more to go.

With bin in hand and kitchen waste available, all I needed was my EM inoculant. Even making it from EM concentrate would be fairly expensive long term, but persevere in your research and eventually you find the answer. I initially made my home made EM powder using Method 1 here, but over time have developed an infinitely easier way.
This is what the bokashi bin looks like inside with the strainer removed. The low area below the lip is where the excess juice drains to. The white nut holds the tap in place.

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Carazy.Net DIY home made FREE(almost) EM Bokashi Mix (Not using store concentrate!)

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**Note: If you have chlorine in your tap water like Brisbane does leave a jug of water with the top open for a couple of hours for the chlorine gas to evaporate. Chlorine will kill off any micro-organism growth which is what we’re trying to achieve here. Or use purified water. I have a reverse osmosis filter for drinking which makes it easier.

I’ll include each method as it was all part of my journey and useful information is never a bad thing.

This is how I first started doing it.
To make your own EM additive from scratch.
METHOD 1:
STEP 1 – Mix 1 Tb of raw rice with 1 cup of water. Place a paper napkin over it (Ensuring air can move in and out of it, bringing in natural microbes from the environment) and place in a cool dark spot for a week.

-After a week the cloudy liquid should smell a little sour/acidic. (If it smells rotten, bin it and start again with a clean jar)

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