If you are a farmer.....or a backyard farmer..... that wants to get better yields from the crops you are sweating over each season...... fill a little plastic baggie with a small sample of soil and then ship it off to the Soil and Plant Tissue Testing Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts. I suggest that you dig up from several areas of your garden....mix up the soil into one bag.
Farmers find out what’s in their dirt — how much nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium, aluminum, and lead — and how acidic it is. The PH of the soil is really a critical factor for the outcome yields of your future bounty. For a few bucks ....under $20.00.... the Soil and Plant Tissue Testing Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts will prepare a complete report and return it by mail. http://soiltest.umass.edu/ or you can go here for a local laboratory: www.naptprogram.org/about/participants
Now is a good time to do this testing. I like to get our soil primed for Spring.....in the beginning of the Fall (that's today by the way). The soil PH does indeed change year to year. There are too many reasons to list why the PH will change. One factoring cause of change is drought. Another is what chemicals/amendments were used the prior year. So forth.
I purchased a $12.00 PH meter from the local Rio Linda Hardware store ........actually it has a moisture meter as well. It's a good tool for rough knowledge of your soil. The manufacturer gives directions to push the two probes into the ground at 6 inches. I don't do that. Take a small scoop of that garden dirt.....into a glass.....add distilled water. Mix. Now probe. Better results.
Having a few test results from different avenues..... gives you an better idea of your PH.....for all testing methods will differ including from laboratories.
Trust my advice. I am a Farmacist.
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