Organic Composting: The Complete Guide to Every Method

Composting is converting organic waste into plant food. Every farm generates raw material — crop residue, cow dung, kitchen waste, leaf litter — that can become compost. The difference between a farm that buys fertiliser every season and one that makes its own is mostly whether they have a composting system. A good composting system turns ₹0 of farm waste into ₹3,000–7,000 worth of compost per tonne — and does it continuously, season after season.

India has a rich tradition of composting methods — from the ancient NADEP technique to Zero Budget Natural Farming’s Jeevamrutha — many of which are faster, cheaper, and more biologically active than Western composting approaches. This guide covers all of them: what they are, how to make them, how long they take, and when to use which method.

The core rule: never waste organic matter. Crop residue that gets burned becomes air pollution. The same residue composted becomes soil fertility. Every kilogram of organic matter returned to your soil is a kilogram you did not have to buy.

Why Does Composting Matter More in Organic Farming Than in Conventional?

In conventional farming, soil fertility is maintained by synthetic fertilisers — nitrogen from urea, phosphorus from DAP, potassium from MOP. These inputs bypass the soil biology entirely: they deliver nutrients directly to the root zone in water-soluble form.

Organic farming does not have this shortcut. Instead, it relies on the soil’s own biological process — microbes decompose organic matter and release nutrients in plant-available form. Without a steady supply of organic matter (compost, vermicompost, green manures), the soil biological engine starves and nutrient availability collapses.

This is why composting is not optional in organic farming. It is the primary fertility input. A farm with a good composting system is self-sustaining. A farm without one is dependent on purchased inputs for every season.

What does compost actually do?

• Feeds soil biology: Compost is food for bacteria, fungi, and earthworms. One gram of good compost contains billions of microorganisms.
• Releases nutrients slowly: Unlike synthetic fertilisers (available immediately, leached in weeks), compost releases nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium over 3–6 months — matching plant demand.
• Improves soil structure: Humus (stable decomposed organic matter) binds soil particles into aggregates, creating the pore structure that holds both air and water.
• Buffers pH: Compost moderates both acidic and alkaline soils toward the neutral range (6.0–7.0).
• Suppresses disease: Well-made compost contains diverse microbial populations that competitively exclude pathogenic fungi and bacteria.

What Is Jeevamrutha and How Do You Make It?

Jeevamrutha is the cornerstone of Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF). It is not a compost — it is a liquid microbial inoculant. It does not add significant nitrogen or phosphorus to the soil. What it does is add 300–500 crore (3–5 billion) live microorganisms per gram of cow dung used, reactivating the biological processes in the soil that release locked-up nutrients.

Ingredients (makes 200 litres — one acre application):

• Fresh desi cow dung: 10 kg
• Desi cow urine: 10 litres
• Jaggery (or any sugarcane product): 1 kg
• Besan (gram flour) or any pulse flour: 1 kg
• Soil from under a banyan, peepal, or old tree: 1 handful
• Water: fill to 200 litres in a drum

Preparation (exactly 48 hours):

1. Add all ingredients to a 200-litre drum
2. Fill with non-chlorinated water (borewell or well water, not chlorinated municipal water)
3. Stir clockwise for 5 minutes, cover with a cloth (not airtight — needs oxygen)
4. Stir again morning and evening for the next 48 hours
5. At 48 hours: the liquid will be slightly bubbly, earthy-smelling, brownish
6. Strain through a cloth and apply immediately (do not store beyond 3 days)

Application: 200 litres per acre, every 15 days. Apply through drip irrigation or as a soil drench. Do not spray on leaves (the suspended solids block stomata).

What Is Vermicompost and How Is It Different From Regular Compost?

Vermicompost is compost produced by earthworms — specifically Eisenia fetida (red wigglers) and Lumbricus rubellus, which process organic matter 5–10 times faster than microbial composting alone.

Vermicompost is more nutrient-dense than regular compost: 3x the available nitrogen, 7x the available phosphorus, 11x the available potassium, compared to the parent organic material. More importantly, earthworm castings are the most biologically active material you can add to soil — they contain plant growth hormones (auxins, cytokinins), enzymes, and a microbial diversity that regular compost cannot match.

How to set up a vermicompost bed

Location: Shaded area, protected from rain and direct sun. Under a tree, inside a shed, or under a shade net.

Bed options:

• Cement tank: 10ft × 4ft × 2ft holds about 400kg of material, produces 100–150kg of vermicompost per 45–60 days
• Mud pit: same dimensions, cheaper to build
• Raised bed with bricks: most practical for small farms

Process:

1. Add 6-inch layer of cow dung (semi-decomposed preferred)
2. Add chopped organic matter (crop residue, kitchen waste, leaf litter) — chop to <4 inch pieces for faster processing
3. Add 1–2 kg of earthworms (Eisenia fetida) per 10 sq ft
4. Water to keep moist (squeeze a handful — a few drops should come out, not a stream)
5. Cover with gunny bags to maintain moisture and darkness
6. Check every 3 days — maintain moisture, add fresh material in thin layers
7. Harvest at 45–60 days: worms migrate to fresh material added on top, leaving finished vermicompost below

Signs of ready vermicompost: Dark brown, crumbly, earthy smell, no original material identifiable, granular texture (earthworm castings).

Application rate: 500kg–2 tonnes per acre per season. Use highest rates for high-value crops (vegetables, herbs, nursery seedlings).

What Is NADEP Composting and Why Is It the Best for Bulk Compost?

NADEP (Narayan Deotao Pandhari Pandurang) is a composting method developed by an Indian farmer in Maharashtra that produces large volumes of high-quality compost using a brick tank. It is the most efficient bulk composting system for Indian farms — producing 1,500–1,800 kg of compost per tank per 90 days.

The NADEP tank: 12ft × 5ft × 3ft (length × width × height), built from hollow bricks with gaps for air circulation. No mortar needed between bricks — the gaps ARE the ventilation system.

Filling process (layers):

1. Layer 1 (6 inches): Dry organic material (crop residue, dried leaves, straw)
2. Layer 2 (3 inches): Fine cow dung slurry (cow dung diluted to paste consistency)
3. Layer 3 (2 inches): Fine soil
4. Repeat layers until tank is full (takes 1–3 days)
5. Cover top with cow dung plaster to prevent moisture loss
6. Maintain moisture: water the tank every 15 days if no rain

Timeline: 90–120 days for full maturity. The brick walls allow air in from all sides while retaining moisture — the key to NADEP’s efficiency. One tank handles about 2 acres of compost needs per season.

Cost: ₹3,000–5,000 to build (bricks + labour, one-time). Running cost is negligible — only farm waste and cow dung.

What Is Bokashi Composting and When Should You Use It?

Bokashi is a Japanese fermentation method, not traditional decomposition composting. Instead of aerobic breakdown by bacteria and fungi (which takes months), Bokashi uses anaerobic fermentation by lactobacillus and other beneficial microbes to pickle organic matter in 2–4 weeks.

What you need:

• Bokashi bran: wheat bran or rice bran inoculated with effective microorganisms (EM) — available commercially (₹200–500 per kg) or made at home
• Airtight container or bucket with a spigot at the bottom
• Any organic waste: kitchen scraps, cooked food, meat and dairy (unlike regular composting, Bokashi handles all food waste)

Process:

1. Add a layer of organic waste (2–3 inches)
2. Sprinkle Bokashi bran (1 tablespoon per inch of waste)
3. Press down firmly to remove air pockets
4. Continue layering until container is full
5. Seal airtight for 2–4 weeks
6. Drain liquid from spigot every 2–3 days (this is Bokashi tea — dilute 1:100 with water, apply to soil or drains)
7. After 4 weeks: the pre-compost looks pickled (may have white mold — fine, black mold means contamination)
8. Bury in soil or add to compost pile — breaks down fully in soil within 2–4 weeks

When to use Bokashi:

• Kitchen waste that cannot go into regular compost (cooked food, small amounts of meat/dairy)
• Urban farms and kitchen gardens where space is limited
• Fast pre-composting before adding to a NADEP tank or vermibed

Limitation: Bokashi does not produce finished compost — it produces pre-compost that needs a second stage (soil burial or compost pile) to fully stabilise.

What Is Compost Tea and How Do You Use It?

Compost tea is water in which compost has been brewed — it extracts and multiplies the microbial populations from compost into a liquid that can be applied through a sprayer or drip system. It is not a substitute for compost — it is a way to stretch limited compost further by spreading its biological benefits across a larger area.

Aerated compost tea (ACT) — the effective method:

1. Fill a bucket with non-chlorinated water
2. Add 500g of mature compost per 10 litres of water
3. Add 1 tablespoon of molasses or jaggery (food for microbes)
4. Bubble air through with an aquarium pump for 24–36 hours
5. Strain and apply within 4 hours of finishing (microbial populations decline rapidly once aeration stops)

Application: Soil drench (5–10 litres per 100 sq metres) or foliar spray (dilute 1:3 with water for leaves — reduces disease pressure from fungal pathogens).

Non-aerated compost tea: Steep compost in water for 3–5 days without aeration. Simpler but lower microbial count and may contain some anaerobic bacteria — best applied to soil only, not foliage.

How Do You Choose the Right Composting Method for Your Farm?

For a 1–5 acre Indian organic farm, the recommended system:

1. Jeevamrutha every 15 days — the biological backbone (costs almost nothing)
2. One NADEP tank — bulk compost for base soil amendment
3. One vermibed (4×10 ft minimum) — high-quality compost for vegetables and nursery
4. Bokashi bin (optional) — kitchen waste recycling

This combination produces enough fertility for 2–3 acres with near-zero purchased input cost by Year 2.

Composting in the US — What Is Different?

The principles are universal. The inputs, regulations, and scale differ for US organic farmers.

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Last updated: March 2026