Surveys & Testing
This government agency provides detailed soil surveys through its Soil Conservation Service.
What is the USDA?
This is the simplest method to test your garden's soil depth.
What is digging?
A fertile soil is loose and free of this harmful condition.
What is compaction?
This type of paper can test your soil’s acidity or alkalinity.
What is litmus paper?
Chickweed signals a good garden soil with lots of this component.
What is nitrogen (and humus)?
These are great places to access soil surveys if you don’t have them at home.
What is the local library or Agriculture Extension Office?
Raised beds are often used to increase this feature in shallow soils.
What is topsoil depth?
You should be able to push this tool 6" into well-structured soil.
What is a garden fork?
A black or dark soil color often indicates this component is abundant.
What is organic matter?
Plants like Sedges, Rushes, and Wiregrass indicate this kind of soil.
What is wet soil (poor drainage)?
This lab-based test checks for macro/micronutrients, pH, and potential contaminants.
What is a commercial soil test?
A simple drainage test uses this common household item buried 4" in the ground.
What is a juice can (46 oz)?
A soil’s texture depends on the ratio of sand, silt, and this fine particle.
What is clay?
White surface deposits on soil typically indicate this pH condition.
What is high pH (alkaline, above 8.0)?
Mullein and wild radish are indicators of this soil quality.
What is poor soil?
To get an accurate soil test sample, combine this many sub-samples from various depths.
What is 10 (five at 1", five at 6")?
Gray or bluish subsoil and a rotten egg smell indicate this drainage issue.
What is poor drainage (anaerobic conditions)?
This term refers to a dense, compacted subsurface layer that impedes drainage.
What is hardpan?
To find organic matter % precisely, dry and weigh soil, then do this.
What is burn off the organic matter and reweigh?
You’re likely to find Poppy, Ox-Eye Daisy, or Yarrow in soils with this pH type.
What is alkaline soil?
This measurement indicates how well a soil can retain nutrients.
What is Cation Exchange Capacity (C.E.C.)?
This color-mottling in subsoil often indicates seasonal waterlogging.
What is mottling (gray/bluish patches)?
You might see a steel rod go down 2 feet in this ideal soil condition.
What is moist, well-structured, porous soil?
This color indicates iron is present with low oxygen—usually in wet soils.
What is blue?
This plant, along with Great Plantain and Silverweed, indicates compaction.
What is Pineapple Weed?