We did a real lab test
What most home gardeners mean by a soil test is a pH test, done either with a meter or with one of those Manutech test kits. You get a reading, and the usual recommendation is to add lime according to the result. If that’s all you can afford, the kit is a much better option than one of those cheap pH meters.
But we finally went a step further and had our soil professionally tested in a laboratory. Yes, it probably sounds a little over the top. We only have three-quarters of an acre! But, so far, the $250 we spent on the test has been some of the best money we’ve spent in the garden.
If you seriously want to grow food, even in a small home garden, a comprehensive soil test can tell you things a simple pH test simply can’t. It shows you what nutrients are missing, what might be present in excess, and where your soil may need some attention.
A pH test will tell you whether your soil is acidic or alkaline, but it won’t tell you whether you have enough phosphorus or potassium. And here’s something that surprised us: even alkaline soil can be short of calcium.
