Plant growth and vigor are often dependent on soil pH — the measurement of how acidic or alkaline the soil is. A soil test determines whether your soil is acidic, neutral or alkaline. A soil test also indicates which elements are missing from your soil and how much to add to remedy the problem. The soil test kits purchased at a garden store usually do not yield accurate results for a variety of reasons. The best way to determine soil health is to get a laboratory soil test.

You can test your soil at any time during the year, but testing at approximately the same time every year will provide the most accurate results. Late fall/early winter when your soil is in a depleted nutrient condition is the ideal time for most crops. This will allow time for you to boost the necessary nutrients before spring planting.

For each soil test, collect about a quart size bag of soil. Each sample should consist of sub-samples taken from various locations within the sampling area. We recommend marking a large “W” shape in the sampling area, and pulling soil out of each point in the “W”, mixing the soil together to make one soil sample for testing. Be sure to only pull from the area that crops will be planted.