Soil Testing in Preparation for your Spring Planting

​Spring has arrived! Things are certainly greening up, and gardeners everywhere are beginning to think about what we want to plant and what soil preparations may be needed.

One important preparation is to have your soil tested, especially if it has been a few years since the last test.  Depending on the “crop” you intend to grow (vegetables, flowers, trees, lawn), you may need to apply certain amendments to create the ideal growing conditions. A healthy plant is more productive and resilient to adverse conditions (weather, disease, harmful insects, competition from weeds) when it is in the correct soil conditions. 

Taking a soil sample for testing is pretty simple. The full instructions can be found on our Soil Testing Webpage. 
Basically, you need to obtain a representative sample for the area you want to test, whether that be a vegetable garden, a lawn, a shrub bed, etc. To get a representative sample, take several samples from your testing area and thoroughly mix them in a clean pail or bucket to create your representative sample or "average" soil for your yard.

Once a soil sample is obtained and mixed, bring 2 cups of the mixed soil to our office, where we will label it and send it to the lab.  Results are usually available within about 4 days, and those can be emailed directly to you. 

What you will receive is a list of the current nutrient levels, the pH (how acidic or alkaline your soil is), organic matter content, and a few other things (for which an explanation sheet will be provided).  You will also receive recommendations on what nutrients to apply (dependent on your intended “crop”), how much of each nutrient, how to adjust the pH if needed, and when to do all of this. 

Our Basic Test - $35 includes organic matter, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, CEC, pH, and buffer pH.  Our Complete Test- $45 includes the Basic Test plus conductivity, boron, copper, iron, manganese, sulfur, and zinc. 

If you are interested in completing a test this spring, or any other time of the year, just follow the directions on our website and submit a sample to our office.  We will be happy to help.

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Soil Testing Webpage