Dirt or Soil?

Is dirt soil, or is soil dirt? What's the difference in meaning? When I was a kid Mom would yell at me after coming in from playing in the dirt, I used to get beads of dirt in the cracks of skin under my neck. Mom would say, "Now look at you! You've got grandma's black beads under your neck! Get in the bathroom and wash your face and hands right this minute! And don't forget grandma's black beads!" To this day I don't ever remember seeing Grandma wearing a black beaded necklace.

I loved walking barefoot in dirt when I was a kid. I remember how little puffs of dirt "smoke" would rise in slow motion out from under my feet when I stomped in it, and how cool I thought it looked. It reminded me of watching Neil Armstrong's moon walk, and how moon dust rose from beneath his boot as he walked on the surface. I have a cousin that ate dirt; I tried it only after she said it was some kind of pie.

What I don't understand is why some folks prefer the word soil instead. Soil reminds me of something little Johnny does. "Now look at you, and phew wee! You've done went and soiled your diaper" is a phrase parents use. Pet owners say things like "Oh my, it looks like Fido has soiled the carpet again!"

If you're a gardener and you're digging, what are you digging in, soil or dirt? There are 13 entries for soil at Dictionary.com and 7 for dirt (that's strange, two odd numbers for amounts, and these numbers are my lucky ones; sorry for the digression). Here's one definition for soil: The top layer of the earth's surface consisting of rock and mineral particles mixed with organic matter. Here's one for dirt: The part of the earth's surface consisting of humus and disintegrated rock. Humus and organic matter are included in both definitions and these two substances are considered to be black gold to gardeners. This tells me that dirt and soil are one in the same. Thank goodness I've cleared this up for everybody, well, almost everybody.

Master Gardeners (myself included) and Horticulture folks like using the word soil when discussing garden related topics. Don't ever say your planting in dirt if any members of these groups are within earshot. You'll be eating dirt (humble pie) if you do.

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