What is soil made of?

When you dig in the garden, you find dark, crumbly soil. It might look like plain old dirt, but soil is a special mix of many things working together. Let’s see what is inside.

A mix of bits and pieces

Soil is made of several things all mixed up. There is crushed rock, ground down into tiny grains over a very long time. There are also rotted-down leaves and old plants that have broken into rich, dark crumbs.

Hidden between all these bits are water and air, tucked into tiny gaps. Plant roots need both to stay healthy and strong.

Tiny helpers in the ground

Soil is also alive! Wriggly worms tunnel through it, mixing it up and letting in air. There are also tiny living things, far too small to see, that help old leaves rot away.

All these helpers turn dead leaves into food that plants can use. Busy little workers, hard at it underground!

Food for plants

Plants push their roots down into the soil. From there they drink up water and soak up the goodness, called nutrients. That is how the soil feeds the plants that feed us.

Wonder fact: A single handful of healthy soil can hold more tiny living things than there are people on the whole planet!