My brain is bursting with the possibilities of SPRING on the homestead.
The birds have started chirping, there’s the faintest green tint to the prairie when you look out across the wide open space, and the air smells alive and fresh after many months of BLAH. Are we done with snow storms? No way. But we’re getting closer.
I repotted the tomatoes and peppers this week, and they’re happily growing under their lights in the basement. I’ll start the cabbage, brussels sprouts, and broccoli seeds that I purchased from True Leaf Market in a few days, and plans for about a half dozen projects are underway.
Our raised beds have been complete for years now including the addition of our crazy hail protection, and the greenhouse projects have started. So the main garden goal this year is to garden with intention and aim for quality over quantity.
Also. I’m trying not to kill stuff. That’s good, right?
I defiantly learned a valuable lesson after accidentally poisoning my garden several years ago, and I came pretty darn close to disaster again this spring without even realizing it.
Good grief, Jill. Thankfully, soil testing saved the day. Hallelujah.
Why You Should Get Your Soil Tested
I thought about having our garden soil tested, but was never quite organized enough to do it before the growing season started. So I would skip it year after year, then one day a friend brought me a container from the Colorado State University Soil Testing Laboratory I decided it was finally time to test our soil.
I will be the first to tell you that it was the best gardening decision that has been made on our homestead. No more flying by the seat of my pants when it comes to our garden soil. Having your garden soil tested is an inexpensive, quick way to find out exactly what is going on in your garden soil.
Soil tests provide you with actual factual information, so you are not left playing a guessing game every gardening season. It provides you with data that can tell you exactly where you need to start with your soil and how to improve it.
What You Will Learn From Having Your Soil Tested
Soil tests can tell you exactly what you need to get your garden soil in growing condition. When you get your test results it will tell you specifically what nutrients you have or need and what your ph level is. These are both important pieces of information when it comes to garden soil.
What is a Ph Level?
Ph levels are used to gauge the acidity of your soil and it tells if the nutrients are available to the plants in your garden. Your soil can be acidic, neutral, or alkaline these levels are determined using a scale from 0 to 14. o means your soil is extremely acidic and 14 is very alkaline.
For most garden soils you want your ph level to be in the neutral range of the scale, so a 6.5 or 7 is ideal. neutral slightly acidic soil is good for most plants, of course, there are always exceptions.
Main Nutrients in Soil
There are three main nutrients that should be looked at when you are testing your soil. These are Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and potassium. Nitrogen is responsible for the amount of water uptake in a plant and plays a huge role in plant development. Phosphorus helps with root development and also aids in plant growth. Potassium helps plants build up resistance to pests.
When it comes to soil testing the main issues that are usually found are ph levels and the amount of nitrogen in the soil. Your results can vary depending on your climate the area you are gardening in and what past soil amendments were made.
Where to Get Your Soil Tested
There are tons of DIY soil tests floating around on Pinterest and such, but they have mixed reviews and seem to be mostly ineffective. Plus, most of them just check for pH, which really is only a teeny part of the information you really need to know if you’re really wanting to understand the health of your soil.
The soil testing kit that I have been using here at The Prairie Homestead is from a branch of Redmond’s Real Salt call Redmond’s Agriculture. The test is super simple to use, you buy your Redmond’s Soil Test send in a sample of your garden soil and within 7 Days you can view your results online.
You can see how Redmond’s Soil Test works by watching this youtube video where I use the test to find out why 150 seedlings died this year.
There are other ways to get your garden soil tested to get more in-depth lab results you can check with your local county extension and use labs that accept mail-in samples like these places:
Home testing kits are now available and can be purchased at your local farm and garden store or online. These tests won’t give you a full report like the one from Redmond’s or other labs.
How I Collected My Soil Sample
Your soil test will come with directions, but from what I’ve seen, directions are generally the same:
- Dig down at least 6 inches.
- Combine samples from multiple areas of your garden
- Let the soil dry out completely before you package and mail it
Not too hard, eh? While the soil we filled our raised beds with was pretty similar from bed to bed, I still chose to dig samples from 4-5 different beds and combine them together in a bucket. I stuck them in the little plastic testing container, filled out the form, and within 2 weeks I had my results.
What We Learned from Testing Our Garden Soil
HOLY COW YOU GUYS.
I’m so glad I did this.
I was getting ready to add a whole bunch of composted manure to my beds in another month or so, and I’m so glad I had it tested BEFORE I did that. The most notable thing the results revealed was that my soil is already very high in nitrate-nitrogen (108 ppm), which can cause bushy plants with small fruit and stunted roots.
Thanks to my soil test, I will NOT be adding any more composted manure to my beds this year (which also saves me a ton of work– whoop whoop). The notes also mentioned that early planting in the spring will help to make use of the additional nitrogen, so I’m crossing my fingers we won’t have issues.
Other things I learned from our soil test:
pH= Ours is high at 7.8. However, CSU said that most plants will tolerate this higher pH will little problem.
Electrical Conductivity or Salts= Ours are low at 1.9 mhos/cm. When E.C. is less than 2.0, salinity is not a problem for plant growth. However, avoid adding large amounts of manure or composted manure since these are often very salty and can damage plants.
Lime= Our lime levels are high at 2%-5%. (I have never added lime amendments, so this is naturally occurring.) According to CSU, plants can still grow quite well in soil with this lime content.
Texture Estimate= Our soil is sandy loam, which means it will drain at a medium to high rate, which may cause it to dry out rapidly. Raised beds cause soil to dry out faster anyway, so I’m glad we have our built-in drip system.
Organic Material= Ours is high at 9.7%. According to CSU, we don’t need to build up the organic matter beyond its existing levels, but rather focus on protecting and replenishing the OM content by using organic mulch.
Phosophorus= Ours is high at 111.3 ppm. This is naturally occurring in our soil.
Potassium= Ours is high at 3485 ppm. This is naturally occurring in our soil.
Zinc= Ours is adequate at 9.2 ppm. No additional zinc is needed.
Iron= Ours is low at 7.3 ppm. CSU recommended that we add 2 ounces of iron per 1000 square feet. This was interesting, as my bean plants really struggled last year and were the weirdest shade of yellow. After a little research, I discovered this was a symptom of iron deficiency, which now makes complete sense.
Manganese= Ours is adequate at 6.6 ppm. No additional manganese is needed.
Copper= Ours is adequate at 2.4 ppm. No additional copper is needed.
Boron= Ours is high at 0.50 ppm. No additional boron is needed.
What I Did with Soil Test Info:
Well, first off, I’m most definitely NOT adding any more compost to my beds– at least for this year.
Secondly, I’m on the hunt for some organic straw to use as mulch to help protect and preserve the organic matter in the soil (I, unfortunately, won’t be using hay anymore, due to the issue of herbicides).
And lastly, I am researching what sort of iron will be best to add to the garden to hopefully prevent yellow bean plants again this year. Some people say you can simply add rusty metal to your soil (??), but I think I’ll probably just use granulated or powdered iron that I’ll get from…. well, I’m not sure yet.
Suffice it to say, I’m pretty much sold on this whole soil testing thing– best $35 bucks I’ve spent!
Not only did having our soil tested but it helped me narrowly miss creating another huge problem in my garden by adding too much compost. Soil Testing means now knowing exactly how to amend my soil (no guessing games) for the upcoming growing season. Also. I’m rather proud of myself for being proactive instead of flying by the seat of my pants (now to just master that concept in all the other areas of my life…)
Ready to get your soil tested? Buy your Redmond’s Soil Kit here.
Have you ever had your garden soil tested? Comment below and share what you learned in the process!
Other Posts to Help Your Spring Gardening:
- 7 Ways to Improve Your Garden Soil
- How Much to Plant for Your Family
- Where I Buy Heirloom Seeds
- How to Test Seeds for Viability
I too have thought about soil testing, but it is always something that gets pushed to the side. I hunted and hunted for organic straw last season but I found it impossible to find (Big Horn County WY and surrounding areas). I ended up using organic hay, I read this contains more nutrients, but I spent so much time pulling thistles! All the best for your garden.
Yikes– yeah, I am concerned about finding it here as well… Hmmm…
Hi Jill,
Your literary police said my comment was too long. It was really, really good. Too bad you won’t get to read it.
Short version: add elemental sulfur to lower the soil pH to about 6.5 and test the soil again. Some of your results will change. Go from there.
Darn it– I didn’t realize my comment program limited the length– sorry about that! Thanks for the sulfer tip!
I just mailed in my soil sample to CSU a few weeks ago and I’m looking forward to the results! It sounds like they’re pretty helpful… I was afraid they’d be just numbers and I’d have to do a bit of research to figure out how to amend my soil.
Yes– their results gave lots of good info– I was impressed!
I just wanted to check back in because I got an email with my soil test results today! Our results are similar (not surprising since I think you are in Wyoming and I’m in Boulder, CO) and I’m happy to report that my organic matter is 7.6% — I added a bunch of bagged cow manure last fall hoping to increase the number of worms and bugs and I think it helped! I was surprised that my salts are low (.7) because with the cow manure I expected them to be high. It looks like the only thing I need to add to my soil is Nitrate. How did your soil score on that?
That’s awesome! And yes, interesting that your salts are low– I would expect them to be high as well since you used manure. My Nitrate was very high from using too much manure.
I’m so glad you shared this! I’m struggling to re-learn gardening since our move to WY and am wondering why I didn’t get my soil tested from the beginning, but I’m going to do it now! Also, I love how you did your raised beds! How are they working out for you so far with being mostly metal (does it affect temps during hot or cold?)
I’m so glad– I hope your test results help you out! And I’m loving the beds! It helps the soil heat up faster in the spring– and I was slightly concerned about them getting too hot last year, but they did just fine!
Thanks for the reminder to get a new soil test done. I forgot. Would kill to have higher pH, or sandy loam!
FYI: I’m an apprentice iris judge/American Iris Society, Region 4. Wyoming = Region 11, but has no active groups. (for more: http://www.irises.org) Anyway, in case you have iris growing issues, please note: growing under straw would be very unhappy for most irises. When straw decays, the molding process, can cause rot in an iris rhizome.
Otherwise, both bearded irises, and Siberian irises if you can irrigate, should grow well for you there. Gotta grow food AND flowers! And I love that these are “friendship” pass-along plants.
Good to know about the Irises. I have just a few, but didn’t know that about the straw.
I agree with the helpfulness of soil testing. I learned about it from my Father who had the soil on his farm tested every year. It helped him reduce the costs of adding amendments to his land and let him produce enough fodder for his dairy cows with very little additional bought feed. And he had less than 40 acres to work with.
That is so cool! It sounds like he was an excellent steward of his land!
Just bought a DIY kit to test Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium, and pH but I must admit I’m jealous of the additional info your mail-in test provided! I’ll certainly be looking into more extensive soil testing… Do you anticipate testing your soil every year moving forward?
Yes, I plan to keep testing every year!
They sell shredded coconut that I used as mulch for my plants. It comes in a block that you wet and it expands to a small wheel barrel full. I got the straw once and it had its own seeds in it which caused quite a mess of straw growing all over my garden. Don’t know about the iron and never tested my soil but think it is a great idea for next year as I am skipping this years garden to get rid of the critters first. We have lots of gophers so I have to wire in the whole garden.
Donna, I was wondering where you get your shredded Coconut at? Thank you Lorene
Interesting– I’ve used coconut coir as a potting soil mix ingredients, but never for mulch. good idea!
We are in NE New Mexico, high plains, and while we have sandy, neutral pH soil, we need nitrogen and mulching. I used organic straw the first year and had tons of oatgrass coming up with the plants. Also found that those greedy black beetles love the straw and tended to gobble up my starts! Last year we got free sawdust (raw, untreated) and it is amazing mulch. Beetles don’t like it, it really seals in the moisture, and it looks good. Just a thought if you happen to have a saw mill anywhere nearby.
Good idea Sandra– Christian actually has a small sawmill, but the wind blows away most of the sawdust. 😉 maybe I can figure out a way to save some.
Oh, and I know that sawdust as a soil amendment can leach nitrogen from the soil, but used as a mulch over nitrogen rich soil and manure, it hasn’t done that at all. I had a bumper crop of cabbages, tomatoes, hot peppers, and zucchini to prove it.
Got it watch carbon /nitrogen ratio or sawdust will rob N from plants.
Fyi – Commercial strawberry growers have found after years of using straw to provide frost protection, that a disease can affect the strawberry plant as it rots.
there is no straw now only plastic.
Yikes– like a disease that comes from the straw?
I have lived in CO, WY, CA, and now S. TX. Have gardened in all those
Places and found it is very different in each area. I assume the State universities in most states will test soil, so I may try sending mine to A&M here in TX. What do you think?
I bet A&M would be a great option!
Jill, Thank you so much for your information….I think Dry molasses will give your soil the Iron it needs….and I would like to ask where you got your drip system at..I do organic gardening. I need a drip system badly…I just was concerned about all the chemicals in all the hoses…Is there one In particular you like? I also got a Boogie Brew water filter for the water where I live is so bad…I like it. Thank you again Lorene
That’s interesting re: the molasses– I never thought of that! We got all of our drip system stuff at Lowes. 🙂
Jill, getting ready to submit my 3rd annual sample tomorrow. I’ve been using the Steve Solomon “Intelligent Gardener” information to building up my soil. Here in the Pacific NW we get lots of rain which tends to leach some nutrients (salts, calcium, etc). We also have lots of slugs. The cure for slugs is Sluggo snail bait, which is iron phosphate (OMRI approved). My iron levels are actually a little high so I’ve have to try to use less.
I’ll have to check out that info– sounds interesting! And thankfully we don’t have slugs here, whew! 😉
I got slugs from an Easter lily that was given to me. I planted in the spring Sheridan, WY
and the slugs do not freeze out.
what..
well how do you agree then?
Hi Jill,
There are 3 soil tests that may be used in various parts of the country. The more common ones are Mehlich 3 and Modified Morgan. The third, AA7, is kinda rare. M3 uses a stronger acid than MM, so its results are a little stronger.
Iron and Manganese are pairs, look for 2X Iron. Copper and Zinc are also paired. Generally copper at 2X zinc is desired.
Boron is the sneaky one. Your test shows low for Boron, which is better at 1 ppm. 7 ounces of 20 Mule Team Borax will up 1,000 sq.ft. garden 1 ppm of boron, so use about 3 ounces based on your test. Here come the police!
Good info Daryle- thanks for sharing! Never thought of using Borax, either.
Another fantastic lab option is:
Next Level Ag Labs
617 Pine Ave N
Alpena, SD 57312
605-849-5227
This is a small lab, but they will provide garden recommendations. They accept samples through the mail.
Thanks for the recommendation Erin!
First of all I wish you good luck on avoiding hail this year. Secondly, I garden in Arizona–pH 8.4 for the natural soil which is caliche. Therefore I went to raised beds (33% natural soil, 33% compost, 33% Miracle Gro garden soil. I also added Ironite (granular iron), Sulfur, Blood meal and Bone meal. All of this lowered the pH to 7.0 and I’ve had years it was as low as 6.8.
I’ve installed a combination of drip and soaker hose irrigation to those beds (as it almost never rains here–less than 10″ annually and usually more like 6″).
Seven years later the results have been outstanding. My wife and I enjoy being able to grow food outside year round. Winter temps will (rarely) dip into the low teens but low 30’s or 40’s are the norm. So we use low PVC hoop houses covered with clear 6 mil plastic. Those mini greenhouses work very well and when a hard freeze is expected we throw in a few water-filled milk jugs that absorb the sun’s heat during the day and release it at night.
Thank you for this article as I honestly had no idea you could add too much compost. Maybe with our natural soil being almost totally barren in terms of organic material I can’t add too much.
Ironite and sulfur are my recommendations for your soil. The sulfur will help lower your soils pH, but the effect is temporary. I find I add it it two or three time a year at the beginning of my Spring, Fall and Winter growing seasons.
Thanks for sharing your tips Raymond! Sounds like you have an amazing set-up down there in AZ!
Great post! We use hard wood chips for our mulching and we found a fairly steady supply by calling the tree companies in our area and finally finding one that operates in our area but is based about 35 miles away. It is far easier on them to have a place to dump the chips and we have plenty of land for them to dump whenever they have need. The chips are wonderful as they break up our clay soil and we use them in the greenhouse, the raised beds and the orchard.
Is there a code to order the soil test from Redmond Real Salt?
Currently, there is a sale code. Save 15% (with code “HOMESTEAD”) on home soil tests right here: https://bit.ly/3MxwGNy