The Soil Makers Elico water-only living soil

The Soil Makers at Madeline's

The Soil Makers is a small Connecticut company, based in Colchester, that makes living organic soils and the raw ingredients to build and maintain them. The focus is on soil biology: clean, nutrient-rich blends and amendments for home gardeners and professional growers who want to grow in a water-only living soil rather than relying on bottled nutrients.

The living soils sit at the center. The Elico water-only living soil supplies nutrients, minerals, and compost straight from the bag, while the Elite LOS mixing blend and a manure-free Elite Compost let growers build their own root zone, and a Soil Re-Amend Kit refreshes used soil between plantings. Microbial life is a recurring theme, from a 5E9 probiotic inoculant and fermented Soil-Kashi to a ready-to-brew compost tea blend.

The amendment shelf runs deep, with organic meals like kelp, alfalfa, fish, and crab shell, mineral inputs such as Azomite, gypsum, K-Mag, aragonite oyster shell flour, and calcium montmorillonite clay, and media including coco coir, par-boiled rice hulls, and biochar. There are cover-crop and seed-sprouted-tea seeds, blackstrap molasses to feed soil microbes, and even live composting worms for a home worm bin.

The Soil Makers products at Madeline's

Every item below is live and in stock at Madeline's. Click any product to see full details, sizes, and ordering.

  • The Soil Makers Elico water-only living soil

    Elico Living Soil (from $20). A water-only living soil that supplies the nutrients, minerals, and compost plants need right out of the bag, built on buffered coco coir, compost, and peat moss.

  • The Soil Makers Elite LOS mixing blend

    Elite LOS Mixing Blend (from $75). A 3 cubic foot soil-mixing kit for building your own living organic soil, delivering a mineral-rich root zone and robust microbial life without peat, perlite, or rice hulls.

  • The Soil Makers Elite Compost

    Elite Compost (from $20). A 1 cubic foot bag of 100% organic compost made without manure, rich in the beneficial bacteria and fungi that aid nutrient cycling and plant growth.

  • The Soil Makers Soil Re-Amend Kit

    Soil Re-Amend Kit (from $40). A kit that refreshes and revitalizes existing living soil without replacing it, combining organic nutrients and mineral amendments to restore soil biology and structure.

  • The Soil Makers Nutrient & Mineral Blend

    Nutrient & Mineral Blend (from $40). A tested, all-organic mix of soil amendments that supplies a balanced spectrum of nutrients and minerals to build or enrich living soil.

  • The Soil Makers 5E9 probiotic soil inoculant

    5E9 Probiotic Soil Inoculant (from $45). A concentrated living microbial amendment delivering 5 billion CFU per listed bacterium, combining nine well-studied strains to build a thriving root-zone microbiome.

  • The Soil Makers Soil-Kashi probiotic inoculant

    Soil-Kashi (from $28). A probiotic soil inoculant and compost tea ingredient built through a two-week fermentation that pairs a dense microbial population with minerals and organic inputs.

  • The Soil Makers Compost Tea Blend

    Compost Tea Blend (from $27). A ready-to-brew compost tea mix that delivers a rich, diverse population of nutrient-cycling bacteria, taking the guesswork out of brewing.

  • The Soil Makers organic kelp meal

    Kelp Meal OG (from $35). A premium seaweed-based amendment harvested from cold New England coastal waters, rich in natural nitrogen, potassium, trace minerals, and amino acids.

  • The Soil Makers alfalfa meal

    Alfalfa Meal (from $20). An organic, plant-based fertilizer and soil amendment that supplies nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium along with natural growth compounds.

  • The Soil Makers fish meal

    Fish Meal (from $32). A slow-release organic source of nitrogen and phosphorus (7-4-0, 62% protein) processed at low temperatures to preserve amino acids, with no preservatives.

  • The Soil Makers crab and lobster shell chunks

    Crab/Lobster Shell Chunks (from $25). An organic, chitin-rich crab shell amendment (5-3-0) that supplies calcium and magnesium, builds organic matter, and improves soil structure.

  • The Soil Makers seabird guano

    Seabird Guano (from $35). A phosphate-dense amendment (0-10-0) ground to a fine 200-mesh powder that jump-starts fruiting and flowering while contributing calcium.

  • The Soil Makers Azomite mineral amendment

    Azomite (from $28). A natural mineral amendment from an ancient Utah deposit, providing a broad spectrum of over 70 minerals and trace elements for remineralization.

  • The Soil Makers granular gypsum

    Gypsum Granular (from $25). A naturally mined calcium sulfate amendment that improves the structure of heavy clay soils while delivering calcium and sulfur, with no significant pH effect.

  • The Soil Makers calcium montmorillonite clay

    Calcium Montmorillonite Clay (from $28). A trace mineral colloidal silicate soil conditioner containing nearly 50 mineral compounds in an immediately available form to nourish living soil.

  • The Soil Makers coco coir block

    Coco Coir Block (from $22). A buffered, low-EC 100% coconut coir growing medium that expands to about 2 cubic feet when hydrated, washed and buffered for a stable root zone.

  • The Soil Makers live composting worms

    Composting Worms (from $69). Live, bed-run composting worms offered as a red and euro mix or redworms alone, ideal for starting and running a productive worm bin.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I buy The Soil Makers?

You can buy The Soil Makers products online at Madeline's (madelines.co), which carries the company's living soils, compost, organic and mineral amendments, microbial inoculants, growing media, and composting worms. The products listed above are live and in stock.

What is The Soil Makers known for?

The Soil Makers is a small Connecticut company known for clean, living organic soils and the raw amendments to build and maintain them. Its products focus on soil biology and are aimed at both home gardeners and professional growers who prefer a water-only, living-soil approach.

What is a water-only living soil?

A water-only living soil is a soil that already contains the nutrients, minerals, compost, and beneficial microbes a plant needs, so the grower can feed mainly with plain water. The Soil Makers' Elico Living Soil is built this way, and amendments and re-amend kits help keep the soil productive over time.

What amendments does The Soil Makers offer?

The lineup includes organic meals such as kelp, alfalfa, fish, and crab shell, mineral inputs like Azomite, gypsum, K-Mag, aragonite oyster shell flour, and calcium clay, microbial inoculants and compost tea ingredients, growing media such as coco coir and rice hulls, biochar, cover-crop seeds, and molasses.

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