Soil as a living thing. Compost, companion planting, saving seed, no-dig beds. Four age tiers — pick yours and dig in. Every tier is hands-on, not just reading.
Soil is sand + silt + clay + organic matter + life. The ratio decides drainage, fertility, and what grows. The jar test is how you find out — in 24 hours, with a jar and water.
Drag & Sort
Compost: green or brown?
Greens (high N) and browns (high C) need a 1:3 ratio by volume.
Add soil + water to a jar, lid tight, shake 60 seconds. Within 24 h you'll see sand at the bottom, silt middle, clay top.
Fill jar 1/3 with soil, 2/3 with water + 1 tsp dish soap.
Lid tight. Shake hard for 60 full seconds.
Set jar on a level shelf. Tap Stop.
Come back at 1 min (sand), 1 hr (silt), 24 hr (clay). Measure each layer.
Time
0.0s
Goal
75s
Best
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Full skill library
Always available. The themed lesson above rotates weekly.
Hands in the dirt
Soil is alive — go meet it
A handful of healthy soil holds more living things than there are people on Earth. Today we go say hello.
Progress0 of 5 steps
🤲Scoop a handful
Go to a garden bed or under a tree where leaves have piled up. Scoop a handful of dark crumbly dirt — not sand, not clay.
👃Smell it
Healthy soil smells sweet and earthy. That smell is a chemical called geosmin, made by bacteria. You are literally smelling living things.
🔍Count what moves
Spread your handful on a white plate. Watch for one minute. Count every tiny thing that wiggles. Mites, springtails, baby worms — all gardeners.
💧Test the squeeze
Squeeze your handful. If it crumbles back open, it's loam (perfect). If it stays in a ball, it's clay (heavy). If it falls apart instantly, it's sand (loose).
🌱Put it back
Always put soil back where you found it, gently. We borrowed it for a minute.