{"id":2909,"date":"2019-05-10T00:07:17","date_gmt":"2019-05-10T07:07:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/pal-question-235\/"},"modified":"2024-01-17T11:23:52","modified_gmt":"2024-01-17T19:23:52","slug":"on-testing-vegetable-garden-soil","status":"publish","type":"pal","link":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/on-testing-vegetable-garden-soil\/","title":{"rendered":"on testing vegetable garden soil"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>I would like to know if there is some place where I can have my vegetable garden soil tested. For the last two years my vegetable plants were abysmal except for tomatoes and lettuce.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Natural Lawn &amp; Garden Hotline, sponsored by Seattle Public Utilities, provides the following recommendations on how to take a soil sample:<\/p>\n<p>1) Take about 10 vertical slices of soil from the top 6-8 inches of your garden bed. If there is an area that you suspect to have problems, test this soil separately.<\/p>\n<p>2) Place soil slices in a plastic bag and mix thoroughly. You are getting the average of the soil in your garden bed.<\/p>\n<p>3) Take 1 cup from this mixture and dry it at room temperature. Do not dry in oven, on radiator or in microwave!<\/p>\n<p>4) Put dry soil sample into a Ziploc bag and seal.<\/p>\n<p>5) Label the outside of the Ziploc bag.<\/p>\n<p>6) Mail to one of the soil testing labs below with completed order form and payment.<\/p>\n<p>A WSU has a publication on <a href=\"https:\/\/pubs.extension.wsu.edu\/soil-testing-a-guide-for-farms-with-diverse-vegetable-crops\">soil testing for vegetable crops<\/a> but it is mainly for agricultural growers.<\/p>\n<p>Another option is the <a href=\"http:\/\/soiltest.umass.edu\/\">University of Massachusetts, Amherst<\/a> soil testing laboratory.<\/p>\n<p>This page has <a href=\"http:\/\/soiltest.umass.edu\/ordering-information\">information and forms<\/a> to send in with your samples.<\/p>\n<p>For testing of toxics see:<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/kingcounty.gov\/en\/legacy\/depts\/health\/environmental-health\/toxins-air-quality\/arsenic-lead\/tacoma-smelter-plume\/tools-for-residents\">King County&#8217;s Resident Self-Testing Page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/al-labs-west.com\/soil-analysis\/\">A &amp; L Western Laboratories, Inc.<\/a> in Portland, OR can provide soil and plant analysis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I would like to know if there is some place where I can have my vegetable garden soil tested. For the last two years my vegetable plants were abysmal except for tomatoes and lettuce. &nbsp; The Natural Lawn &amp; Garden Hotline, sponsored by Seattle Public Utilities, provides the following recommendations on how to take a soil sample: 1) Take about 10 vertical slices of soil from the top 6-8 inches of your garden bed. If there is an area that&#8230;<\/p>\n<div><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/on-testing-vegetable-garden-soil\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">on testing vegetable garden soil<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","keyword":[131],"class_list":["post-2909","pal","type-pal","status-publish","hentry","keyword-soil-testing"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pal\/2909"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pal"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/pal"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"keyword","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/keyword?post=2909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}