ETTRICK—Virginia gardeners are no doubt eager to start planting flowers, vegetables and lawns. But slow down and make sure you have the right information first, said Chris Mullins, a Virginia Cooperative Extension specialist.

“A soil test will really help determine what nutrient levels are in the soil,” Mullins said. “It’s probably better to do the soil test in the fall for a lawn, but better to do one now than not at all.”

Soil tests can be conducted at local feed and garden stores, and Extension offers a homeowner’s version of tests conducted for farmers by the Virginia Tech Soil Testing Laboratory.

“It’s not hard to do at all,” Mullins said. “The home gardener can go to a couple of places in their yard, dig down 6 to 8 inches with a little shovel and get a sample of dirt in that spot, then go to another spot and do the same thing. Then homogenize that whole group of soil” in a clean container, and send a representative sample to Blacksburg to be tested.

“The test we’re talking about will give them an idea of what the pH is and recommend the proper amount of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus amendments,” Mullins said. “The simplest way to get a soil test box is to go to your local Extension office. They’re also available at other government offices, even local libraries.”

One of the best things about using the Virginia Tech lab is that it will customize recommendations for the crop or plants someone wants to grow, Mullins added.

“There will be a form to fill out, asking what you’ve been growing there and what you plan to grow. So if you plan to grow peppers and squash in that soil, they’ll make a custom recommendation. If you don’t understand the results, call the lab or call your local Extension office to help you interpret them.”

For more information about soil sampling tests from Virginia Tech, visit pubs.ext.vt.edu/452/452-129/452-129.html.

Contact Mullins at 804-524-5834 or Norm Hyde, VFBF communications, at 804-290-1146.