A few posts ago i mentioned the importance of getting your soil tested. Soil health is the most important step in having a productive and healthy garden. For those of you who don't know, the photo above shows the pH scale. 7 is neutral, any number below 7 is acidic, any number above 7 is alkaline. Almost all vegetables like to be in the 6-7 area. That's slightly acidic to neutral. There are some exceptions, like blueberries, or grapes that like the soil much more acidic, in the 4.5-5.5 range. This is why all that information on the seeds or plants you put into the ground is important. You don't want to add composted manure to an area where you want to plant blueberries for instance, that would raise the soil pH. Of course, you have to know your soil pH before you can do anything, which is why you need to get your soil tested. There is no way to tell the pH or the nutrient levels, or lead levels in your soil without a soil test. If you live in an urban area, or in an older home, it's very important to get your soil tested for lead before you plant. Now is a good time to get a soil test done. If you do need to limestone (to bring the soil pH up) you would do that in fall. Limestone takes 3 months to incorporate into the soil, so you want to do that in fall once most of your crops are out. You can also use wood ashes to raise soil pH, but it takes quite a lot of them, and they take 6 months to incorporate into the soil.

Getting your soil tested isn't difficult. You'll need a spade, a bucket, and a plastic baggie or plastic container. Dig down 8" to 10" and take a slice of soil, then put it in your bucket. Then go around to 6-8 other areas in your garden and do the same thing. You're getting an aggregate of your soil this way. Mix up the soil in your bucket, and take a cup or a bit more of that, and put it in a baggie. Make sure you mark the bag, especially if you're taking more than one sample. If your garden area is large, or on a slope, then you'll want to take more than one sample. Take 6-8 samples from one area, then dump out the extra and go to the next. Mark each bag with the area you took the sample from, so you know which is which when the test results come back. You should get your soil tested every 2-4 years. If you need to limestone to raise the pH, or add any other amendments, you should get your soil re-tested the next year to see how it's doing. Quite a few Universities have extension centers which, for a small fee, will give you a very good soil analysis and lead testing. Every state has an Agricultural station which will test your soil for free. Here in CT the Agricultural station does not test for lead, but UConn will test for lead and give a good soil analysis for $8. For the best, and most productive gardens, your first step is soil health.