Soil Testing for Planting

Where to start:

Before planting you need to test your soil. If you’re planting into a planter box and want to fill it with planting soil, that’s fine. However, if you want to plant straight into the ground it will end up being cheaper and more sustainable. As you expand your kitchen/ edible garden you may want to explore the soil and in-ground planting. 

To do a basic soil test you will need a glass jar with a lid. Fill it half way up with a soil sample  (dig 8+inches down!) and the rest of the way with water. Shake it up!

Fresh Soil from the east into my jar.

Water added and shook up- Time to wait 24 (ish) hours.

Small debris and water will float to the top, clay to the bottom and sand in the middle. In Portland the soil has a lot of clay in it, if you live in more arid climates you may find it had more sand.

What now? If you want to get really into the soil make up you can check out this :Soil texture calculator:

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/survey/?cid=nrcs142p2_054167

Next you’ll want to ament your soil: If you have a lot of clay mix in Soil Building Conditioner or Peat Moss. Plant some root veggies to help break it up. In high sand conditions you’ll need extra fertilizer.

Test each year to see what’s depleted and know what to add.