This past Friday I went to my local Cooperative Extension Agency and picked up several soil sample boxes. I labeled the boxes and filled them with soil samples from the farm. I will be mailing them to Raleigh where they will be tested. I will then get a report based on the plans I have specified for each sample which will tell me what my soil is lacking. I think this is one of the most important parts of farming. Depending on what you are planning on doing with the soil whether it be used for crops, pasture, vegetables, fruit trees or flowers a soil test should be one of the first things you do to improve your soil. This is a great article on Soil samples
Different types of crops need different types of soil. The levels of Ph should be different for different types of crops. Here is a good article on Ph levels. It all seems scientific to me but if you ask most farmers about their soil and how they are able to grow good vegetables or crops I always get the suggestion to take soil samples. I can’t wait to get the results back to see what amendments I need to make to the different areas of the farm. Building good soil takes time and work but is necessary for successful farming.
