Get Soil Samples & Soil Testing - Go Green the Right Way!
Soil samples and soil tests are crucial to knowing what is in your garden soil - and more importantly - what NOT to add to your garden soil. Lots of people add to the water pollution every year by adding chemicals (fertilizers) that the soil does not need, and that gets washed away into rain water. Actually, if more people got soil tests they would be able to use less chemicals, and add only what is needed - which is more often than not, organic matter and less chemicals
Few people realize that their local university co-op extension probably has a small-fee soil test lab service, along with a (usually free) Master Gardener consultation program to discuss the soil test.
Learn what's in your soil today before you plant that next seed, bulb or flower!
Links to the State University Co-Op Extension in Your Area
On the other hand, if your State's University Co-Op Ext did a great job & was easy to work with, share that info with us (& help others) too!
- NJ Rutgers Univ Co-Op Ext Soil Test Program
- With all the links to find the Co-Op Extension Office in your County of NJ. Very minimal fees for soil tests.
- PA Penn State Soil Testing Services
- Soil Testing at Penn State
- MD Univ MD Co-Op Ext Soil Testing Svcs
- Soil Testing at University of Maryland
- DE Univ of DE Soil Testing Program
- Soil Testing at University of Delaware
- VA Virginia Co-Op Ext Soil Testing Svcs
- Soil Testing at Virginia Cooperative Extension
- NC Dept Agriculture - Soil Testing Services
- Soil Testing at North Carolina Department of Agriculture
- SC Clemson Extension - Soil Testing
- Soil Testing at Clemson University Cooperative Extension
- GA Univ of GA Co-Op Ext - Soil Testing
- Soil Testing at University of Georgia Cooperative Extension
- FL Univ of FL Extension - Soil Testing Services
- Soil Testing at University of Florida Cooperative Extension
- CA - UCal Davis article about Commercial Labs
- California appears not to have a Cooperative Extension Soil Testing Service, but this article does list about 5 labs that have nominal fees.
- TX A&M Co-Op Ext - Soil Testing Program
- Soil Testing at Texas A & M Cooperative Extension
- NY Cornell Univ Co-Op Ext
- Rather than a centralized page about soil testing, each County's page lists its services that it provides, which usually includes soil testing for a nominal fee.
- CT UConn - Soil Testing Program
- Soil Testing at University of Connecticut
- RI - URI Soil Testing Program
- Soil Testing at University of Rhode Island in conjunction with UMass
- MA - UMass Soil Testing Program
- Soil Testing at University of Massachusetts
- IL Soil Testing Places
- University of Illinois Extension offers lots of services and classes, but not soil testing. Instead, the Univ of IL Ext provides a list of various soil testing companies, indicating the services that each offers. Get a company that offers both (H) for "accepts home samples, and (I) for "provides soil test interpretation for home samples."
Soil Testing Kits for Kids
Science on a Gardening Adventure Kit
Amazon Price: $29.95 (as of 12/31/2009) 
Want Better Soil?
Get Compost
Find out how:
Compost - How, Why & What to Compost
Composting Books
Mike McGrath's Book of Compost
Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 12/31/2009)
Soil Test Poll
Give me your comments on your tired soil, your poor soil, Your huddled masses of clay yearning to breathe free!
(My apologies for "borrowing" such an awesome phrase from such a revered national symbol, the Statue of Liberty, but you gotta admit, it sounds cool! For a more honorable commentary on America, visit God Bless America.
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Reply
- TheresaMarkham TheresaMarkham Nov 28, 2008 @ 7:53 pm
- Diane R - I checked it out & found some info for IL - see the new University of Illinois Extension link that I added above.
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Reply
- Diane R Diane R Oct 16, 2008 @ 12:48 pm
- I'm looking for a soil testing extension for Illinois. The ones I've found seem to be for farmers. Thanks for any help you can give.
DR
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Reply
- Tiddledeewinks Tiddledeewinks Aug 21, 2008 @ 2:25 am
- I have a garden, but haven't tested the soil. It seems to be doing great with my chicken manure.
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Reply
- TheresaMarkham TheresaMarkham May 27, 2008 @ 9:59 am
- Hi Andre!
As I noted in my email to you, most states only select one university at which to have a cooperative extension. So, use the link to the FL Univ coop extension above, regardless of where you live.
As to the other soil concerns, I highly recommend the GardenWeb.com Soil, Compost & Mulch forum at
GardenWeb Soil and Compost Forum
All the Best, Theresa
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Reply
- Andre Kirwan Andre Kirwan May 24, 2008 @ 8:10 pm
- Hello, my name is Andre, and i want to plant a garden in an area of my 2 acres that had some old tires, metal, and corroded cans of paint and just a bumch of junk on it for a long time. I wanted to get the soil tested first to make sure that nothing funky seeped into the soil. I live in Tampa, Fl. Does anyone know if U of Tampa, or USF (Univ of South Fl) has this program? Please email me at: apk8181@yahoo.com. Any advice on what I mentioned was there? Am i being too paranoyd?
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Improve Your Garden Soil
Want more help on how to improve your soil? Get it here - oh and, btw, you can do before or after getting your soil tested. And, really, you'll be able to tell how wonderfully your soil has improved after only one or two years of these regular improvements to your soil.
Secrets to Great Soil (Storey's Gardening Skills Illustrated) by Elizabeth Stell
Create productive soil anywhere with step-by-step instructions for making compost and fertilizers.0 points
Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web by Jeff Lowenfels, Wayne Lewis
Teaming With Microbes enlightens readers in two important ways. First, in clear, straightforward language, it describes the activities of the organisms that make up the soil food web, from the simplest of single-cell organisms to more familiar multicellular animals such as insects, worms, and mammals. Second, the book explains how to foster and cultivate the life of the soil through the use of compost, mulches, and compost teas. By eschewing jargon, the authors make the text accessible to a wide...0 points
Taylor's Weekend Gardening Guide to Soil and Composting: The Complete Guide to Building Healthy, Fertile Soil (Taylor's Weekend Gardening Guides) by Nancy J. Ondra, Barbara Ellis
While most gardeners aren't blessed with ideal soil to start with, it is possible to improve almost any site. This guide provides clear and practical information on making compost, taking soil samples, all-organic methods of feeding plants, dealing with poor drainage, choosing and using mulches effectively, and more.0 points
Commercial Soil Testing Labs
- Midwest Labs, Omaha, NE
- Brent recommended this soil testing lab in Nebraska. I checked out its website and it offers lots of other tests (in addition to soil tests) that people might be intereste in, e.g. food testing, pet food testing, manure testing, water testing, and more.
Why might you want to use a commercial lab for a soil test? Well, here's 2 reasons:
1. more bang for your buck
2. faster test results
I looked at the soil test packages and they ARE VERY reasonable - a free soil test, and others ranging from $10 to $30 (apx.) that might likely offer more details than your average co-op soil test. You decide what's right for your needs. [And thanks Brent for sharing this recommendation with us!]
My Current Favorite Quote
Where You Are
With What You Have.
- Teddy Roosevelt
Kids & Money - Teaching Wealth Habits to Your Children
Have you realized that you'd like to spare your children the burden of repeating your money mistakes? (or, of the poor money lessons that you were taught as a child?) Do you want your kids to learn NOW - while they're young - the money wisdom and skills that you are acquiring on the "Get Out of Debt Now" or "Law of Attraction" paths that you are (fortunately) now on?Would you like your kids to learn Abundance and Wise Money Management now, when they're young? Would you like your kids to build strong habits that will help them save, spend and donate money wisely?
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Kids and Money: How to Teach Wealth Habits to Your Kids
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Aha! You've joined the ranks of those wise parents who have realized that they'd like to spare your children the burden of repeating your money mistakes? (or, of the poor money lessons that you were taught as a child?) Do you want your ki...
You sow seeds into the land - Now, sow a seed into a Lost Child
This is my latest Charity lens - created out of my experience of seeing and hosting the Watoto Children's Choir.Find out what rescuing a child, raising a leader and rebuilding a nation is all about.
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Gardening Guides
Here are 2 great books for gardening, with attention on the soil, rather than the chemical additives.
The Vegetable Gardener's Bible: Discover Ed's High-Yield W-O-R-D System for All North American Gardening Regions
Amazon Price: (as of 12/31/2009)
Seeds for your garden
Sweet Bell Pepper 50 Seeds - Red, Gold, Purple, Orange, White
Amazon Price: $2.99 (as of 12/31/2009)
Heirloom Sunflower Seeds Flash Blend Certified Organic 85 Seeds
Amazon Price: $2.29 (as of 12/31/2009)
26,000 Black Eyed Susan Flower Seeds with Free Shipping
Amazon Price: $3.00 (as of 12/31/2009)
1,400 Cosmos Sensation Seeds with Free Shipping
Amazon Price: $3.50 (as of 12/31/2009)
Gardening with Children
Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children
Amazon Price: $10.04 (as of 12/31/2009)
Gardening with Children
Amazon Price: (as of 12/31/2009)
A Child's Garden: 60 Ideas to Make Any Garden Come Alive for Children (Archetype Press Books)
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 12/31/2009)
Sunflower Houses : Inspiration from the Garden - A Book for Children and Their Grown-Ups
Amazon Price: $11.86 (as of 12/31/2009)
Gardening Wizardry for Kids
Amazon Price: $11.53 (as of 12/31/2009)
Soil Testing - according to the Wikipedia writers
Here's more information on what soil testing actually tests, and why to do it. Scroll down a little to get to the home gardening section.
In agriculture, a soil test is the analysis of a soil sample to determine nutrient content, composition and other characteristics, including contaminants. Tests are usually performed to measure fertility and indicate deficiencies that need to be remedied.
Soil Food Web (by Wikipedia)
Because you want to know how your soil works, how it gets the soil test readings it does, and how to get the soil test readings you want.
Bottom line, you want to know how to get better plants, flowers and food!
The soil food web is the community of organisms living all or part of their lives in the soil. It describes a complex living system in the soil and how it interacts with the environment, plants, and animals.
Food webs describe the transfer of energy between species in an ecosystem. While a food chain examines one, linear, energy pathway through an ecosystem, a food web is more complex and illustrates all of the potential pathways. Much of this transferred energy comes from the sun. Plants use the sun's energy to convert inorganic compounds into energy-rich, organic compounds, turning carbon dioxide and minerals into plant material by photosynthesis. Plants are called autotrophs because they make their own energy; they are also called producers because they produce energy available for other organisms to eat. Heterotrophs are consumers that cannot make their own food. In order to obtain energy they eat plants or other heterotrophs.
Gardening Supplies
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
Getting the Kitchen Scraps to Your Garden Soil
Here are my suggestions.
I have the stainless steel one. I also love it because it's super easy to clean it, when you want to do that. There's absolutely no odor. It's very inconspicuous in my kitchen - just behind the sink & dish drainer. The white ceramic would probably work better for a white kitchen.
RSVP Compost Pail
Amazon Price: $39.90 (as of 12/31/2009)
RSVP International PAIL-BOO Bamboo Compost Pail 3.25-qt.
Amazon Price: $37.05 (as of 12/31/2009)
Norpro Ceramic Compost Keeper
Amazon Price: $24.73 (as of 12/31/2009)
Replacement Filters for the Norpro Kitchen Compost Crock (set of 6)
Amazon Price: $10.00 (as of 12/31/2009)
Compost Pail Filters
Amazon Price: $7.02 (as of 12/31/2009)
Or, see if they're on eBay @ an Even Better Price!
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byHere's my favorite link:
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by TheresaMarkham
Theresa A. Markham, Esq. loves living in scenic Northwest New Jersey with her husband, Chuck, and daughter Zoe, who are visited by her GWU-colleg...
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