Testing your Garden for next year

Testing your Garden for next year

Test your soil for a better garden next year. Summer is a good time to evaluate your soil's health so that any fall amendments can break down over the winter in time for spring planting. Here's how.

You don't have to dig too deeply to discover the secret of great gardening; it is your soil. Without healthy soil it is very difficult to have a successful garden and fall is the best time to evaluate your soil's health.

Before you start dumping on the lime and fertilizers, your first step should be taking a soil sample to send off for testing. A good soil test will evaluate the basic texture of your soil—and, silt, or clay—and determine its acidity—the pH level. The available amounts of nutrients including magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium will be calculated and recommendations will be made for raising each to the correct levels for optimum plant growth. Armed with this knowledge, you can make the proper improvements. Too much of a good thing can be just as harmful as too little so let your soil test be your guide.

http://www.ext.vt.edu/

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