c/apartment-composting

My bokashi bin lid cracked after 3 months and leaked all over the kitchen floor

I thought buying a cheap bokashi bin off Facebook Marketplace was a good idea but the plastic lid split last Tuesday while I was at work. Came home to a puddle of pickled food waste smell on my linoleum and had to toss the whole batch. Anyone tried repairing a cracked bin lid with epoxy tape or should I just buy a proper one from a garden center?

My bokashi bin got a mold bloom and I panicked

So last month I noticed this fuzzy white mold growing on top of my bokashi bran layer in my little bucket under the sink. I thought I screwed up the whole thing because I was out of town for 4 days and forgot to drain the liquid. I scooped out the moldy part, sprayed it with some diluted vinegar, and added a fresh layer of bran on top. It seems okay now but I'm paranoid about the smell or fruit flies coming back. Has anyone else dealt with mold in their bokashi and just left it alone?

The bokashi vs worm bin decision I had to make for my tiny kitchen

I live in a 400 sq ft studio in Austin and had to pick between a bokashi bucket and a worm bin for my food scraps. Went with the bokashi system because I read worms can die if the bin gets too hot in summer. After 3 months of fermenting scraps in a 5 gallon bucket under my sink, I can say the smell is not bad at all, just pickly. The liquid fertilizer I drain off every week has been amazing for my balcony herbs. Has anyone else tried bokashi in a really hot apartment without AC?

Started a debate with my roommate about bokashi vs. worm bins

My roommate swears bokashi is better since it handles meat and dairy, but I argued worm bins are cheaper long term. We spent an hour arguing over which produces usable compost faster. What do you all think, is the upfront cost of worms worth it?

My worm bin experiment went sideways after 6 months

I started a worm composting bin in my studio apartment in Chicago about 6 months ago. I thought I was feeding them the right mix of scraps but last week I opened it up and found way more fruit flies than worms. I guess I learned that you really need to bury the food deep and not leave any scraps on the surface. Has anyone else dealt with a worm bin getting overtaken by pests?

Learned the hard way: don't buy a cheap countertop composter

I spent $80 on a generic electric composter from Amazon 3 months ago thinking it would be a game-changer. After 2 weeks the motor started making a weird grinding noise, then it just quit on me. The seller ghosted my messages so no luck with a return. Now I'm back to using a simple 5-gallon bucket with bokashi bran, which cost me $20 total and actually works better. Anyone else get burned by one of those overpriced machines?

The day I realized my worm bin was too wet for 3 months

I kept adding vegetable scraps and coffee grounds, wondering why my bin smelled like a swamp and why the worms were trying to escape. Then I actually picked up a handful of the bedding and it was dripping water like a soaked sponge. I was adding way too much moisture without balancing it with dry cardboard or paper. Turns out the ratio should be more like 2 parts browns to 1 part greens in an apartment setup. Anyone else miss the obvious signs of a waterlogged bin for way too long?

Tried bokashi bins after 8 months of worm composting

My worm bin was doing fine with fruit scraps but kept getting too wet and smelly in my studio apartment. Switched to a bokashi system for about $40 and the pre-compost is way easier to manage. Has anyone else had one method just click better for their space?

Just realized my browns to greens ratio was way off for months

I kept getting this gross slimy smell from my bokashi bin and couldn't figure out why until I actually measured stuff. Turns out I was putting in way too many veggie scraps and not nearly enough shredded paper or cardboard. I'd been eyeballing it like the guides say but my 'handful' of browns was like a tablespoon compared to a full dinner's worth of scraps. After I started adding equal parts by volume instead of just guessing, the smell disappeared in like 3 days. Now I keep a bag of torn up cardboard boxes next to my counter bin so I can layer them in without thinking. Has anyone else dealt with their indoor bin going anaerobic from too many greens?

Two months of stinky kitchen before I realized my mistake

I was adding all my eggshells and coffee grounds to my little worm bin but everything just smelled rotten and the worms kept trying to escape. Last week I dropped a whole avocado peel in there and noticed the white mold was actually growing on top of soggy newspaper I never changed out. Did anyone else think you could just keep piling stuff in without replacing the bedding every few weeks?

Tossed a whole avocado pit in my bokashi bucket, it sprouted roots through the side 3 weeks later

I read online you could compost pretty much anything with bokashi so I just chucked a whole avocado pit in there without cutting it up. A month later I went to drain the liquid and saw this pale root thing poking out of a crack in the side of the bucket. Turns out that pit was determined to grow despite being pickled in fermenting food scraps. Has anyone else had a seed or pit go rogue in their indoor compost setup?

Overheard someone at the hardware store say you need 2 square feet for a worm bin and I'm not sure I believe it...

I've got maybe a foot of counter space in my studio and I'm trying to figure out if a tiny bokashi bucket would work better than worms for my situation. Anyone tried bokashi in a really small apartment with any luck?

Wasted $60 on a bokashi bin that just stank up my kitchen

Bought a Bokashi Living kit off Amazon three months ago thinking it would be perfect for my studio apartment. Followed the instructions exactly but after two weeks the bin smelled like rotten pickles and I found mold on the bran layer. Ended up tossing the whole thing in the dumpster and now I'm back to freezing scraps until trash day. Anyone else have better luck with a different method for small spaces?

My bokashi bucket lid broke at the worst possible time last month

Ngl, I was in the middle of layering in some veggie scraps when the lid hinge just snapped clean off. Happened around 9pm on a Tuesday in my tiny SF apartment. I had to rig it with duct tape and a bungee cord until the replacement part came in on Friday. Has anyone else had their bin hardware fail like that?

I picked bokashi over a worm bin for my tiny kitchen and here's what happened

My apartment is 500 square feet and I had to choose between a bokashi bucket and a worm bin. I went with bokashi because I read it doesn't smell as much and you can put cooked food in it. After 3 weeks of feeding it scraps like eggshells and leftover rice, I buried the fermented waste in a planter on my balcony. It broke down fast and didn't attract gnats like I worried about. Has anyone else tried bokashi in a small space and found a trick to speed up the breakdown?

My worm bin turned into a fruit fly nightclub last month

I set up a small worm bin under my kitchen sink in my studio apartment near downtown Portland. Last month I got a little too excited and added a whole mango peel and some overripe banana chunks without burying them deep enough. Two days later I opened the bin and a cloud of probably 50 fruit flies flew straight into my face while I was making coffee. Has anyone else dealt with a sudden fruit fly explosion and found a way to stop it without killing your worms?

My bokashi bin saved my kitchen scraps from turning into a science experiment

I live in a studio in Chicago and tried worm composting last summer. It worked okay for a few months but then the bin got too wet and the worms started dying off. I was about to give up on composting altogether. Then a friend told me about bokashi bins. I bought a small one with a spigot for $30 on Amazon. The trick is you layer your food scraps with the bran and press everything down tight. It ferments instead of rotting so there is no smell at all. I keep it under my sink and just drain the liquid every few days. Has anyone else tried switching from worms to bokashi in a small apartment?

Rant: My neighbor laughed at me for using a 5-gallon bucket as a compost bin

I've been apartment composting for about 6 months now with a simple bucket setup. Punch some holes, add some bedding, toss in kitchen scraps. It works fine. But last week my downstairs neighbor saw me hauling it out to the balcony and just laughed. She said 'you know they sell actual bins at the hardware store for 25 bucks, right?' and told me I was being cheap. It got me thinking though. She's got a point about the smell. My bucket does get a bit funky sometimes, even with good layering. And the holes let little fruit flies escape. But I also don't have 25 bucks to spare right now. Has anyone else had someone question their setup and make you wonder if you're doing it wrong? How bad is a bucket really compared to a real compost bin?

My countertop compost bin gave up after 6 months straight

I bought this stainless steel bin with a charcoal filter from Target back in February thinking it would solve all my fruit fly problems. Well last week the lid hinge snapped clean off when I was trying to dump coffee grounds into it. The worst part is the smell that came out because the filter stopped working like a month ago and I just didn't notice. I ended up transferring everything to an old plastic tub I had laying around but now it's sitting on my counter looking ugly and letting bugs in. I guess spending $15 on a cheap bin bit me in the butt. Has anyone found a budget friendly countertop bin that actually holds up past a year?

Stumbled on a worm farm at a friend's highrise in Chicago

I was visiting my buddy Jake at his 30th floor condo last weekend and he had this tiny worm bin in his laundry closet. It barely smelled at all and he said he's been feeding it for 6 months with zero issues. Anyone else tried setting up a worm bin in a small space like a closet or under a sink?

Finally saw my first real batch of compost after 4 months of waiting

I almost gave up when my countertop bin just smelled like rotten veggie scraps for weeks, but I kept adding shredded paper and turning it every few days. Yesterday I sifted out about 2 cups of dark, crumbly stuff that actually smelled like earth. Has anyone else had that moment where you doubted your method and then suddenly it works?

Vent: My bokashi bin got moldy after just 3 weeks in the closet

I started a bokashi system last month because everyone says it's perfect for small spaces. But by week 3, this white fuzzy mold took over the top layer. I followed the directions exactly - drained the liquid every 2 days and kept the lid sealed. Honestly, I think the pre-made bran mix I bought from a local shop in Austin was just too old. Has anyone else had a bin go bad on them even when you did everything right?

Had a neighbor knock on my door about my bokashi bin smell

She said it smelled like pickles and rotten eggs mixed together, and that was after I thought I had the lid sealed tight. Anyone else get complaints from people in close quarters about the smell even when you follow the steps?

The 3 month difference in my worm bin after I stopped feeding them citrus peels

My bokashi bin was just making stinky mush for 6 months

I got a bokashi bin from a friend and thought I was being eco-friendly. I just kept dumping all my kitchen scraps in there and draining the liquid. After 6 months I opened it up to bury the contents and it was just a slimy, smelly mess. Turns out you're supposed to layer it with bran every time and press it down hard, not just toss things in. Has anyone else had a bokashi bin fail on them before they figured out the right method?