On 08/09/2014 21:07, Chris wrote:
From what is a plant made?
Does the soil turn into the cabbage leaf?
Or is the said leaf made from gases in the atmosphere?

Primarily it's made from carbon dioxide (from the atmosphere) and water
(from the ground).

But that's a gross simplification. There are lots of trace elements that
come up in the water from the ground.

Most of the soil is inert; you might like to read about hydroponics.

Andy