How Does Your Garden Grow: Assessing Your Soil.

It’s springtime…well, at least it should be, though the recent cold front isn’t helping things much. If you’re creating a vegetable or flower garden this summer, now’s the time. Welcome to the first installment to Curbly’s multipart gardening series of 2008, “How Does Your Garden Grow?”

Part I: Soil Samples: Gathering and Testing.
    The number one, most important thing you can do to ensure gardening success is to analyze the nature and chemical make-up of the soil in your garden. Most county extension services will do this for free, while others may charge a small fee, around $10. Check out the USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, Extension Service to find your local branch.

When you gather soil, its important to remember that these few ounces are being tested to determine the needs of what may be acres of garden or lawn, so its essential to take care that the sample accurately represents your soil makeup.

Materials:
•    Auger or garden trowel or shovel and knife
•    Clean, dry plastic bucket
•    Soil sample boxes or bags (available at you local county extension services)

The most representative samples are those from both successful and poor growth areas. So, draw a map of your space, label the regions, and collect at least 8-10 samples from each area. Thus, sample the back and front yards separately, areas for flowers, vegetables, etc. Also, don’t take samples too close to a building’s foundation, or sidewalks or driveways. Crush and mix the samples in the bucket, and allow them to dry in a clean, open space (like a laundry or mud room), by spreading them out on clean newspapers. When dry, crumble and place in the labeled container.

All samples should be taken from the surface and go down to the following depths: