The Future of Resilient Gardening
Host a pile | Adopt a pile | Tend a pile
The future of soil, gardening, and local food systems is already here, at home. No extra plastic, no extra emissions, and local microbes that help your plants absorb nutrients.
Neighborhood Soil Hubs let anyone join the loop and take home local compost, adapted to our Bay Area climate. You don’t have to run a full compost system to make a difference or benefit from local compost.
Each hub keeps waste local and makes soil for all.
YOU CAN HELP TEND & LEARN COMPOST AT THESE LOCAL SOIL HUBS:
➡️ EL CERRITO | KENSINGTON | RICHMOND | ALBANY | OAKLAND
Or reach out to learn how to make your own urban compost pile or resilient garden!
We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly. Anne-Marie Bonneau
Hi, I’m Maggie Owsley, artist and compost steward based in the East Bay. The Velveteen Bean began as a way to work through my own climate grief; one compost pile of coffee grounds, and rescue-bunny bedding at a time. It’s grown into a community of soil-loving, art-doing, garden weirdos. Welcome!
Through art, story, how-to, education, and ritual, I explore how decay becomes a fertile beginning and how small, hands-on acts of care can build connection, resilience, and joy.
I co-create rituals and events, and help you with home, DIY, sustainable urban composting, and gardening, no matter where you start. I advocate for circular economy materials and waste diversion/reuse whenever possible, working with the abundance that we already have.
Compost as art. Compost as hope. Compost as practice.
