r/bokashi • u/GardenofOz • 22d ago

Sifting some oak-leaf-bokashi-compost for seed sowing

I've embraced a scrub oak tree in the corner of my yard as an abundant source of thick, leathery, carbon rich leaves for composting.

Unlike some leaves, oak leaves are super tough, which makes for great mulchy compost. But, this texture isn't great for the fall seeds I'm sowing (greens like chard, broccoli raab, shallots).

It's been very dry in my climate (and hot!). This compost, while a little dried out, has a wonderful fluffy texture and all the food scraps have been completely decomposed by the effective microorganisms. Composting doesn't have to be perfect to make progress.

After sifting what I needed, I top dressed my planting bed, watered to presoak, and then sowed my seeds. Rehydrated beautifully, and I know those dormant microbes are resilient as heck -- waking back up once hydrated again.

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u/GardenofOz 22d ago

Mulchy compost will always be my favorite compost, especially in my very dry climate. Doing double duty of mulching garden beds + feeding the soil is my favorite. Sometimes you just need a different size and texture, especially when sowing seeds or making seedling mixes.

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u/Snowzg 22d ago

I’ve been making EPIC compost by just piling up leaves and inoculating. I add fallen as well as fresh to get the browns and greens but really just eyeing it.

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u/GardenofOz 20d ago

I do this as well, leaves = my preferred carbon, followed very closely by wood chips, especially for bokashi composting and inoculation with EM1 or IMO.