Bokashi Composting in Organic Gardening: Benefits, Drawbacks, and Practical Use

Bokashi composting is gaining popularity among organic gardeners as an efficient way to recycle kitchen waste and build healthier soil. Originating in Japan, bokashi is a fermentation-based composting method that differs significantly from traditional aerobic composting. Instead of relying on oxygen and decomposition, bokashi uses beneficial microorganisms to ferment organic material in an airtight environment. This process offers unique advantages for organic gardens, along with a few important limitations to consider.

What Is Bokashi Composting?

Bokashi composting uses a mix of beneficial microbes—commonly lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, and phototrophic bacteria—applied to food waste in a sealed container. These microbes ferment the waste rather than breaking it down through decay. The result is a pre-composted material that must be buried in soil or added to a traditional compost pile to finish breaking down.

Benefits of Bokashi Composting for Organic Gardens

1. Handles a Wide Range of Organic Waste

Bokashi accepts nearly all kitchen scraps.  This makes it an excellent companion system for organic gardeners who want to minimize waste while maintaining organic practices.  Be aware that meat scraps are NOT allowed in compost at U-Grow Gardens!

2. Fast and Space-Efficient

The fermentation process typically takes two to four weeks and requires very little space. This makes bokashi ideal for gardeners working in urban settings, apartments, or small homesteads.

3. Preserves Nutrients

Because bokashi is a fermentation process rather than decomposition, fewer nutrients are lost. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and other minerals are retained and later released into the soil, supporting strong plant growth.

4. Improves Soil Biology

When buried in garden beds, bokashi material feeds beneficial soil organisms. This can enhance soil structure, microbial diversity, and long-term fertility—key goals in organic gardening.

5. Produces Bokashi “Tea”

The liquid byproduct, often called bokashi tea, can be diluted and used as a soil drench or poured down drains to support microbial activity. In organic gardens, it is commonly used to stimulate soil life rather than as a direct fertilizer.

Drawbacks and Limitations

1. Not A Finished Compost

Bokashi output is not ready to use immediately. It must be buried in soil or added to a compost pile for several weeks before planting, which requires planning and garden space.

2. Odor During Use

While a healthy bokashi system smells sour rather than rotten, it can still be unpleasant to some gardeners, especially if the system becomes unbalanced or is exposed to air.

3. Requires Purchased Inputs

Bokashi bran or inoculated material must be purchased or made at home. This adds cost and effort compared to traditional composting methods that rely solely on yard waste.

4. Limited Volume

Bokashi systems are best suited for kitchen waste, not large amounts of garden debris like leaves, weeds, or woody material. Most organic gardeners use bokashi alongside other composting methods.

5. Soil Integration Is Essential

If bokashi material is not properly buried or incorporated into soil, it can attract pests or temporarily inhibit plant growth due to acidity during early breakdown stages.

Using Bokashi Effectively in Organic Gardens

For organic gardeners, bokashi works best as part of a larger soil-building strategy. Common practices include:

• Trench composting: Burying bokashi material directly in garden beds during fall or between crop cycles

• Soil factories: Mixing bokashi with soil in a separate container to finish decomposition

• Compost pile integration: Adding bokashi material to an active compost pile to accelerate breakdown

After two to four weeks in soil, bokashi material becomes fully integrated and safe for planting, contributing organic matter and beneficial microbes.

Conclusion

Bokashi composting is a powerful tool for organic gardeners seeking to recycle food waste efficiently while improving soil health. Its ability to handle diverse materials and preserve nutrients makes it especially appealing. However, it is not a standalone composting solution and requires thoughtful integration into garden systems. When used correctly, bokashi can play a valuable role in sustainable, organic gardening practices.

Explaining the difference between healthy anaerobic fermentation and unhealthy anaerobic decay.

1. Healthy anaerobic compost fermentation (controlled fermentation)

Think silage, bokashi, sauerkraut—this is fermentation, not decay.

What’s happening

• Oxygen is excluded intentionally

• Beneficial microbes dominate, mainly:

  • Lactic acid bacteria

  • Some yeasts

• These microbes ferment sugars, not proteins

Key conditions

• High microbial diversity (good microbes added or encouraged)

• Enough sugars/carbon

• Moist but not flooded

• pH drops quickly (becomes acidic)

Result

• Rapid acidification suppresses pathogens

• Organic matter is preserved, not destroyed

• Nutrients remain stable and plant-available

• Smell = sour, pickled, yeasty (not rotten)

End product

• Biologically safe

• Can be finished aerobically or incorporated into soil

• Feeds soil life instead of harming it

👉 This is a managed microbial ecosystem.

2. Garden waste rotting anaerobically in a plastic bag (uncontrolled putrefaction)

This is decay, not fermentation.

What’s happening

• Oxygen disappears accidentally

• No microbial guidance or balance

• Putrefactive microbes dominate, including:

  • Clostridium species

  • Sulfur-reducing bacteria

  • Other opportunistic anaerobes

Key conditions

• Mixed materials (greens, proteins, woody bits)

• Often too wet

• No sugar balance

• pH does not drop fast enough

Result

• Protein breakdown instead of sugar fermentation

• Production of:

  • Ammonia

  • Hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg smell)

  • Organic toxins

• Nutrients volatilize or become phytotoxic

Smell

• Rotten eggs

• Sewage

• Decaying meat

End product

• Biologically unstable

• Can harm plants and soil life

• May contain plant pathogens

• Often needs long aerobic composting to recover

👉 This is microbial chaos.

The core difference (the “one sentence” answer)

Healthy anaerobic composting is fast, acidic, and sugar-driven fermentation dominated by beneficial microbes, while waste rotting in a plastic bag is slow, alkaline, protein-driven putrefaction dominated by harmful anaerobes.

Simple comparison table

Aspect	Healthy anaerobic fermentation	Plastic bag rot
Process	Fermentation	Putrefaction
Microbes	Beneficial, selected	Opportunistic, pathogenic
pH	Drops quickly (acidic)	Neutral → alkaline
Smell	Sour / pickled	Rotten / sulfur
Nutrients	Preserved	Lost or toxic
Soil impact	Positive	Harmful

Why people confuse them

Because “anaerobic” only describes oxygen absence, not which microbes are in

control.It’s like the difference between wine and spoiled juice—same starting material, totally different biology.

References and Further Reading

• Higa, T. Effective Microorganisms: A New Dimension for Nature Farming

• Jenkins, J. The Humanure Handbook (for complementary composting approaches)

• Cornell Waste Management Institute – Composting and Soil Health Resources

• Rodale Institute – Organic Gardening and Soil Biology

• Bokashi Composting Association (educational resources and research summaries)