Are Compost and Soil the Same Thing?

Have you ever found yourself wondering if compost and soil are the same thing?
While they are both beneficial, they are not quite the same. We’ll tell you why! 

Compost is a small but important part of soil. Compost is made from your decomposed kitchen and yard waste and becomes the living part of soil. Soil is the top layer of earth and consists of varying proportions of minerals, organic matter, water, and air. The graphic below shows approximate amounts of each component since soils vary on the amount of clay, sand and silt in their mix.

Note, of course, that these percentages can change across regions, seasons, even throughout the day, and are especially dependent on how the soil is managed. The organic matter in compost is what adds nutrients and feeds the food soil web so it must be restored periodically.