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Photo Credit: Daniel Overcash

A plastic bucket and garden trowel are the basic tools you need to collect soil samples.

No one in their right mind would leave on a long road trip without looking at a map, so why would we plant and fertilize our gardens without taking a look at what’s already available in the soil? How do you know if there’s enough phosphorus in the soil? What if there’s a lack of nitrogen? These questions (and many more) can be answered with a quick and easy soil test, which will provide that map to maximizing season-long plant growth.

Collecting a soil sample is easy. Most homeowners can get a good sample by using a standard garden trowel. I like to use a soil probe. This special tool goes 8 inches deep and takes ½-inch-diameter soil cores. It makes collecting samples fast and easy. (If you commit to soil sampling, it’s a worthwhile investment.)

Since most fertilizing is done in the spring, there may be a backlog of soil samples at the lab around that time. To avoid getting your sample caught up in a line, try to send it in a little earlier than when you actually need the results. (Collecting samples in late fall will also provide adequate time for analysis and still provide accurate results.) To collect the sample with a trowel, dig a small hole 2 inches across and 6 inches deep. As you dig, place the soil you remove into a plastic bucket or cardboard box (don’t include vegetation such as grass). Keep in mind that the results of a soil test are only as good as the sample submitted. If you only dig one hole, the results will only represent that small area, not your entire yard or garden. (I like to take samples from at least a dozen evenly spaced random spots across the growing area.) After collecting 12 samples, mix the soil together in the bucket or box to get a true reflection of the soil in your area.