Recently, I shared a video with you demonstrating how I took a soil sample from my garden. I brought my “bags of dirt” to our county extension office. For a fee of $10 per bag, the soil would be analyzed and the results would be mailed to me within ten days.
Well, the suspense is over! I have the results. After reading them, I felt educated and equipped with the knowledge to garden wisely. As I mentioned before, I highly recommend having your soil analyzed; it is the only way to know what is in your soil and how to properly fertilize. These results will guide my decisions for the coming year.
Here are their recommendations:
Dee,
The results of your soil tests indicate plenty of Phosphorous and Potassium in all three areas. You are at least 5 years away from needing to add supplemental Phosphorous, and longer than that on Potassium. The pH is almost ideal in the Day Lily bed, a little bit low in the East Garden bed and a little bit high in the Front Garden bed.
I recommend that you apply 5 lb. of Sulfur per 1,000 sq. ft (or ½ lb. of Sulfur per 100 sq ft) and work it into the top 2 to 6 inches of the soil the best you can without disturbing the existing plants and bulbs in the front garden bed.
I recommend that you do not add anything to the other two beds to adjust the pH. The water you use has a pH of around 7.7, so the pH in these beds will slowly rise over time.
As always, I recommend that you put down 5 to 6 lbs of Ammonium
Sulfate (21-0-0) per 1,000 sq ft at planting time in the spring for all three areas. The vegetable garden should receive an additional 3 lbs of Ammonium Sulfate per 1,000 sq ft as a side dressing 6 weeks after planting.
Dee, if you have any questions about this report or my recommendations please feel free to call me.
Wow, I have been too heavy with the P and K. Also, I had guessed that the pH was off in my front garden bed by the yellowing of the flower leaves. Now I have confirmation of that and know how to fix it!
I want you to feel empowered and educated too. Go get your shovel and bag up some dirt! For a small fee, it’s worth the information gained. May your soil be fertile and the harvest bountiful.
