We frequently are advised to have a soil test done, and yet I never read any posts where someone has done so and reported back their results. I am trying to figure out WHY people are so reluctant to have this done, especially as I myself continue to procrastinate about getting a soil test done.

Maybe it's the idea of a TEST that is scary. Maybe we worry that our soil will "fail".

Also I guess I am not really sure how to go about getting the test done. Do I just dig up a sack full of dirt and show up at the extension office?

How deep should I dig?. Do I need to avoid the top soil and dig for the deeper earth with out all the organic matter I have added to the soil?

Do I sift out the rocks and only sample dirt?

Should I only take samples where my plants are growing poorly?

Do I need to take samples from various areas of the garden, and if so, do I mix it all together or do I have tests run on each sample?

To try to answer these questions, I went to the soil testing website for Colorado State University at http://www.extsoilcrop.colostate.edu/SoilLab/soillab.html

There, I found specific instructions on how to get a soil test done

http://www.extsoilcrop.colostate.edu/SoilLab/documents/Horticultureback.pdf

Summarized, the instructions are:

Dig 5-10 samples from the soil depth where your plants will be rooting...

...mix all of the samples well in a plastic container...If
possible, air dry the sample by spreading it out on paper towels.

...place about 1 ½ - 2 cups of soil from the container in a plastic bag

...Seal the bag and label the sample with name, address and location of the sample

Complete this soil sample information form as much as possible and include it with the soil sample. (also on their website)

Mail the sample to the lab (include payment they add)

Well, that doesn't seem too daunting. I'm going to send off my sample tomorrow. I'll post the results and recommendations when I get 'em, and maybe you all can help me decide what to do with them.

Cheers,

Chris

because I have tried to look up the number for the cooperative extension and have not yet found it. Maybe a soil test kit will do the trick.! And never would I have known what to do...ty

Peapicker, you should be able to find your local office of the Cornell Cooeprative Extension Service here, http://www.cce.cornell.edu/editor/show/In_Your_Community

Sampling for a soil test is pretty simple, just dig down in the area to be tested about 6 inches several times (you want a representative sample), eliminate any stones or large bits of like sticks, and mix all of what you collected together. They need about 1 pint of soil for the test.
Have a test done seperately for the lawn, flower gardens, and vegetable gardens and you need not test each area every year. I'll have a planting bed tested about every 5 to 7 years, and lately they have come back with pH in the 7.0 range with more than optimal levels of phosphorus and potash and all I add are compost and shredded leaves to my soil that is naturally deficient in magnesium which is in the optimal range.

Thanx, Kimm. Got it.

I think a lot of us don't get tested. How much does it typically cost? If it's reasonable, that would be one less reason why we can't skip it. I think another reason we don't test is gardener ego. I just made that up. My thinking is if we can grow most things pretty well, why waste the money? we must be doing something right. We know what we are doing, so why bother? Does this fit anybody besides me? The smarter half says why not test because I might be growing things even better when I get it right, meaning soil ph. I have never had a soil test. I do have a ph meter, though for whatever they are worth.

I've never had a soil test either. I figure, it it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I haven't yet, but I'm thinking about it. I got one of those probe ph meters and it shows between 6.2 and 6.5 just about everywhere I've tested, but I'm finding different soil types on different parts of the property.
There's two spots where I could put the garden next year, and expand a little each year as I get enough compost, so I think I'll get a test once I've figured out which spot to use. Or who knows, maybe test both sites and see which is the better soil, garden on the other site, and bring the better soil into raised beds.

Some time back I posted several reasons why organic (environmentally concerned) gardeners need to have their soil tested so here they are again.
1) So you know the base nutrient and soil pH levels.
2) So you do not add "stuff" to your soil that it does not need, but that you do add "stuff" to your soil that it does need.
3) So you do not add to the pollution of your environment.
4) So you do not spend money on "stuff" you do not need.
5) So the yields from the garden are really optimal and the plants you grow are not bothered by insect pests that are more attracted to plants under stress or that are unhealthy because their diet is wrong.
http://www.basic-info-4-organic-fertilizers.com/whysoiltest.html