How to make compost at home for your terrace garden
If you live in a flat in Lucknow, Delhi, Jaipur, or Bengaluru and grow vegetables or flowers on your terrace or balcony, you are probably throwing away the best fertiliser you will ever use. Vegetable peels, fruit rinds, tea bags, eggshells — all of this kitchen waste can be turned into rich compost that feeds your pots far better than any packet of fertiliser from the shop.
This guide covers three practical methods for making compost at home that suit Indian urban spaces: pit composting for terraces with a little open floor area, vermicomposting for compact containers on a balcony, and bokashi fermentation for households that want a completely odourless, indoor option. All three methods work well in the Indian climate and produce excellent results for pot soil, grow bags, and raised beds. By the end, you will know which method suits your space, what to put in, what to keep out, and how to troubleshoot problems like bad smells and slow breakdown.
Why compost matters for terrace gardening in India
Potted plants have a disadvantage that field crops do not: the soil in a container is a closed system. Unlike garden beds where plant roots can reach into deeper layers of earth, a pot holds a fixed volume of growing medium. Every time you water, you flush out some nutrients. Over time — typically within three to four months — the growing mix in a pot becomes depleted and compacted, and plants start showing signs of starvation: yellowing leaves, poor flowering, stunted growth.
Commercial potting soil from nurseries in Delhi or Kanpur is usually a mix of cocopeat, perlite, and sometimes a small amount of compost. It works well when fresh, but it runs out of nutrition quickly. Synthetic fertilisers like DAP or urea give plants a short-lived burst but do nothing for soil structure. Organic compost, by contrast, does three things at once: it feeds plants slowly over weeks, it improves the texture and water-holding capacity of the potting mix, and it supports the microorganisms that help roots absorb nutrients.
Homemade compost is especially valuable because you control what goes into it. You know it contains no synthetic binders or chemical residues. And in cities where vermicompost or quality organic compost sells for ₹80–₹150 per kg at garden stores, making your own is also noticeably cheaper. A household that composts its kitchen waste can produce two to four kilograms of finished compost every month — enough to top-dress every pot on a medium-sized terrace garden once a month through the kharif and rabi seasons.
What you can and cannot compost
Before choosing a method, it helps to know what materials work and what to avoid. Getting this right prevents the two most common complaints: bad smells and slow breakdown.
Compost-friendly kitchen and garden waste
- Vegetable peels (potato, onion, lauki, tinda, karela — anything from the kitchen)
- Fruit rinds and overripe fruit (mango peels, banana skins, citrus rinds in small amounts)
- Tea leaves and tea bags (remove the staple if there is one)
- Coffee grounds and paper filters
- Eggshells (crush them; they break down slowly but add calcium)
- Dry leaves collected from the terrace floor, the stairwell, or a nearby park
- Shredded newspaper and cardboard (uncoated; no glossy inserts)
- Garden trimmings — cut stems, dried flowers, dead leaves from pots
The ratio that matters most is carbon to nitrogen. Carbon-rich "brown" materials are dry leaves, shredded paper, and cardboard. Nitrogen-rich "green" materials are vegetable peels, fruit waste, and grass clippings. Aim for roughly two parts brown to one part green by volume. Too much green without enough brown is the main reason compost bins smell bad.
What to keep out
- Cooked food of any kind — rice, dal, roti, curries
- Meat, fish, bones
- Dairy products — milk, paneer, ghee, curd
- Oily or heavily spiced food waste
- Diseased plant material (leaves with fungal spots, stems with rot)
- Pet waste
- Treated or coloured paper
Cooked food and meat attract rats, flies, and other pests that cause real problems on terraces in Indian cities. In the bokashi method described later, cooked food can be included — but only in that specific system, not in open pit or vermicompost bins.
Method 1 — Pit composting on the terrace
Pit composting is the oldest and most straightforward approach. On a terrace with enough open floor area — even a two-by-two-foot corner will do — you can set up a compost pile directly in a large container or a DIY enclosure made from bricks or plastic crates stacked on three sides.
What you need
- A large plastic crate, old drum, or terracotta pot with a loose lid (minimum 40–50 litres)
- A drill or a nail to punch drainage and aeration holes in the bottom and sides
- Dry leaves or shredded newspaper (your carbon source)
- Kitchen waste (your nitrogen source)
- A small amount of garden soil or finished compost to introduce microorganisms
How to layer and maintain it
Start with a two-inch layer of dry leaves or shredded newspaper at the bottom. Add your kitchen waste on top — aim for a layer about one to two inches thick. Cover this immediately with another layer of dry leaves. This sandwich approach keeps the pile from smelling and speeds up breakdown.
Each time you add fresh kitchen waste, cover it with brown material. Keep the pile moist but not soggy — if you squeeze a handful and more than a drop or two of water comes out, it is too wet. If it feels bone dry, sprinkle a little water. Stir or turn the pile with a stick or old khurpi once a week to introduce air. Aeration is what separates quick composting from slow rotting.
In Indian summer temperatures (35–42°C in cities like Lucknow and Jaipur from April to June), a well-managed pile can heat up noticeably and start breaking down fast. In the cooler rabi months (November to February), breakdown slows — this is normal.
When is it ready?
Pit compost on a terrace is typically ready in 45 to 60 days in warm weather. You will know it is finished when:
- The material is dark brown to black
- It is crumbly and uniform in texture — no large chunks of identifiable food
- It smells earthy, like forest floor soil after rain, not like rotting food
- The volume has reduced to roughly half of what you started with
Sieve it through a coarse mesh to remove any unfinished chunks (throw those back into the next batch), and your compost is ready to use.
Method 2 — Vermicomposting (earthworm compost)
Vermicomposting uses earthworms — specifically red wigglers (Eisenia fetida), not the large earthworms you find in garden beds — to break down organic waste. The worms eat the material, and their castings (worm droppings) are extraordinarily rich in plant-available nutrients. Vermicompost has an NPK ratio roughly equivalent to a balanced organic fertiliser, plus beneficial bacteria and enzymes that improve soil biology.
This is the most popular method for terrace and balcony gardeners in Indian cities because it is compact, relatively fast (four to six weeks for a batch), and produces compost that plants respond to immediately.
Setting up a vermicompost bin
You do not need to buy a specialised bin. A rectangular plastic storage tub — the kind sold at shops in Mumbai and Delhi for roughly ₹150–₹250 — works perfectly. Choose a tub with a lid. Drill or punch 8–12 small holes in the bottom for drainage, and a few holes near the top rim for airflow. Place the tub on top of a shallow tray to catch any liquid that drains out (this liquid, called leachate, can be diluted with water at 1:10 and used as a liquid fertiliser directly on pots).
Fill the tub with a two-inch bedding layer of slightly damp coir (cocopeat) or shredded newspaper. Add your red wigglers on top. You can buy red wiggler starter cultures from composting communities in most Indian cities or through online plant stores for ₹200–₹400 for a small starter culture. A 250g culture is enough to get started; the worm population will double roughly every two months under good conditions.
Feeding the worms
Add kitchen waste in thin layers — no thicker than one to two centimetres at a time. Always cover fresh additions with a thin layer of cocopeat or dry leaves. Feed every two to three days or whenever the previous addition has been mostly consumed.
Keep the bin in the shade — never in direct sun. Red wigglers are sensitive to heat above 35°C, so in peak summer in cities like Kanpur and Jaipur, move the bin indoors or into a shaded corner of the stairwell. The ideal temperature range is 15–30°C.
Avoid citrus peels in large quantities — the acidity slows worms down. Add eggshells regularly; they provide grit that aids worm digestion and buffers pH. Do not let the bin become waterlogged — worms need air as well as moisture.
Harvesting the compost
After four to six weeks, the material in the lower half of the bin will be dark, crumbly, and uniform. To harvest without sorting through for worms, push all the material to one side and add fresh food to the empty side. Over a week or two, the worms will migrate toward the new food. You can then scoop out the finished vermicompost from the depleted side.
One tub of this size (40–60 litres) typically produces 1.5–2.5 kg of finished vermicompost per month — enough to top-dress eight to fifteen medium pots.
Method 3 — Bokashi fermentation
Bokashi is a Japanese method that ferments kitchen waste anaerobically using a mixture of effective microorganisms (EM-1) inoculated onto wheat bran. Unlike composting, which is an aerobic decomposition process, bokashi does not break down the material during the fermentation stage — it pickles it. The breakdown into soil happens in a second stage, either when you bury the fermented material in a pot or mix it into a larger compost bin.
Why bokashi suits Indian apartment kitchens
The biggest advantage of bokashi for Indian urban homes is that the bucket is completely sealed and produces almost no odour when used correctly. There is no need to collect dry leaves from a park or manage a turning pile. The fermentation happens in a countertop or under-the-sink bucket.
Bokashi also accepts a wider range of inputs than regular composting. You can add small amounts of cooked food, meat, and dairy — the EM culture handles these without attracting pests. This makes it useful in households where separating cooked and uncooked waste is not practical.
What you need
- A bokashi bucket with a tight-fitting lid and a tap at the bottom for draining liquid (available online in India for ₹600–₹1,200 for a starter kit including bran)
- Bokashi bran (wheat bran inoculated with EM-1) — available from composting supplies sellers in major Indian cities or online
- Kitchen waste, including cooked and uncooked food
How to run a bokashi cycle
Add kitchen waste to the bucket in layers no thicker than two to three centimetres. After each addition, sprinkle a tablespoon of bokashi bran over the surface and press the waste down firmly with a plate or your hand to remove air pockets. Put the lid back on tight.
Drain the liquid from the tap every two to three days. Dilute this bokashi tea 1:100 with water and apply directly to pot soil or pour it down drains to prevent build-up of grease and odours.
Once the bucket is full, leave it sealed for ten to fourteen days. At the end of this period, the material will look similar to what you put in — maybe slightly darker — and will smell tangy and fermented, like pickle or silage. It is not yet finished compost, but it is ready for the second stage.
Completing the cycle in pots or a compost bin
Mix the fermented bokashi material into a pot of soil or a compost bin at a ratio of roughly 1 part bokashi to 4–5 parts soil or compost. If you are adding it directly to a pot, bury it under a layer of soil and wait four weeks before planting into that pot. During this time the fermented material will finish breaking down and integrate with the soil. The end result is rich, biologically active growing medium that benefits plants significantly.
A typical Indian household of three to four people generates enough kitchen waste to fill a standard bokashi bucket in two to three weeks. Running two buckets in rotation — one fermenting, one filling — gives you a continuous supply.
Troubleshooting common problems
The compost smells bad
A rotten egg or ammonia smell almost always means one of two things: the pile is too wet, or there is too much nitrogen-rich green material and not enough carbon-rich brown material. Add a generous amount of dry leaves or shredded newspaper, mix it in, and check the moisture level. The pile should feel like a damp sponge — moist but not dripping.
If the bokashi bucket smells foul (not tangy-fermented, but rotten), the seal may be compromised or the bran quantity was too low. Press the waste down more firmly on the next addition and increase the bran sprinkle by half.
The material is not breaking down
A pile that sits unchanged for weeks is usually too dry. If you live in a dry climate like Delhi or Jaipur in October or November, the pile can dry out quickly and microbial activity stops. Sprinkle water evenly, mix well, and cover the container with a lid or piece of cloth to retain moisture. Also check whether there is enough nitrogen — a pile of pure dry leaves without any kitchen waste will break down very slowly.
Flies around the bin
Fruit flies and houseflies are attracted to exposed food waste. The fix is simple: always cover fresh additions immediately with a layer of dry leaves or cocopeat. Keep the lid on the bin at all times. If flies have already established, add a thicker carbon layer and reduce the frequency of adding fresh material for a week until the population drops.
Worms are dying or trying to escape the bin
If worms are clustering at the top and trying to escape, the conditions inside the bin are wrong. Most commonly this is overfeeding (too much fresh waste creating heat and acidity), excessive moisture, or temperature too high. Reduce feeding frequency, add dry bedding, and move the bin to a cooler spot.
How to use finished compost on your terrace garden
Finished compost — whether from a pit, vermicompost bin, or bokashi second stage — can be used in several ways:
Top dressing: Spread a one to two centimetre layer over the surface of an existing pot and water gently. This is the easiest method and suits established plants. Do this once a month during the kharif season (June to October) when plants are growing actively.
Potting mix amendment: When repotting or planting fresh, mix compost into the potting medium at 15–20% by volume. A standard mix for most terrace vegetables and flowering plants is cocopeat (50%), garden soil (30%), and compost (20%). This ratio works well in grow bags for tomatoes, chillies, brinjal, and cucurbits through the monsoon.
Liquid feed: Steep a handful of finished compost in five litres of water for 24 hours, strain, and use the liquid to water your pots. This delivers a quick dose of soluble nutrients and beneficial microorganisms directly to the root zone.
Compost tea with jeevamrit: Many terrace gardeners in India combine homemade compost with jeevamrit (a fermented mixture of cow dung, cow urine, jaggery, and flour) to create a highly biologically active liquid feed. If you have access to these inputs, it is worth trying — plants respond strongly to combined applications during the kharif growing season.
See Soil guide for terrace garden for full guidance on building and improving potting mixes.
Frequently asked questions
Can I compost on a 10th-floor flat in Mumbai or Bengaluru?
Yes. Vermicomposting and bokashi are both designed for exactly this situation. A vermicompost tub or bokashi bucket takes up less space than a kitchen bin and can sit on a balcony, under the sink, or on the terrace. Neither method requires outdoor space, access to soil, or a garden bed. The only thing to manage is ensuring the bokashi bucket seal stays tight to prevent any odour from spreading inside the flat.
How long does it take to make compost at home?
It depends on the method. Bokashi fermentation takes 10–14 days in the bucket, plus four weeks for the buried material to mature in soil — so roughly six weeks total. Vermicomposting takes four to six weeks. Pit composting in warm Indian summer temperatures takes 45–60 days; in cooler rabi weather (November to February) it can take 75–90 days. All three methods are significantly faster than leaving waste to break down on its own.
My flat building does not allow composting. What can I do?
Use bokashi. The bucket stays completely sealed and produces no detectable odour when used correctly. It looks like a regular kitchen bin and can be kept under the sink or on the kitchen counter. The only time it has a smell is when you open the lid briefly to add waste, at which point it smells faintly tangy — not unpleasant and nothing like rotting food. Vermicomposting in a sealed tub is also low-odour and visually inconspicuous.
Can I add mango peels and citrus rinds from Indian fruits?
Yes, but in moderation. Mango peels break down easily and worms handle them well. Citrus rinds — from lemon, mosambi, orange — are acidic and should be added in small quantities and not all at once. If you eat a lot of citrus, dry the peels first or add them to a pit compost pile rather than a vermicompost bin. In a bokashi bucket, citrus is fine in normal household quantities.
What ratio of compost to soil should I use in pots?
For most terrace vegetables and herbs, mix finished compost into potting medium at 15–25% by volume. A practical rule of thumb: one part compost to four parts of your existing potting mix. For heavy feeders like tomatoes, capsicum, and leafy greens in grow bags, you can go up to 30%. For succulents and cacti, keep it under 10% — they prefer lean, well-draining soil. Avoid using pure compost as a growing medium; it can become compacted and waterlogged when wet.
Is homemade compost safe for edible plants?
Yes, provided you have not included diseased plant material, meat, or dairy in the pile. Finished vermicompost and bokashi-processed material are used routinely on food crops. The composting process generates heat (in pit composting) or microbial activity that breaks down pathogens. The key is to let the material fully mature before applying it near edible plants — do not use half-finished compost where raw food waste is still visible.
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