In Western Massachusetts where I live, the soil has been continuously farmed since the 1670’s. In most places where soil has been farmed, it will have been severely depleted of basic minerals and micro-nutrients. Or perhaps you are part of a suburb development. The land it was built on may have been stripped of the topsoil (and it was sold) before the building started. What’s left is usually pretty poor.
I’ve written before about getting a soil test and how to read one and make the formula for your own garden (at the bottom of the old post).
On Friday morning I got up, made breakfast, did the milk order and hoped to go back to bed. At 7:55AM I realized my helper friend would be here any minute and he needed stuff to do.
Then I remembered I’d hoped to have him do the soil samples for the soil testing. And it had just started to sprinkle rain. I dashed out, found three buckets and the trowel, and got the buckets scrubbed up. I didn’t want to skew the test results.
It wasn’t raining much so he dashed out to get it done. Each garden is tested separately as they have all been treated differently over the years. I do the Big garden, the Small garden, and the New Herb garden. I would have no idea how to test the flowerbeds, as there are so many and so diverse. Each test is $30. So I only do the 3 main ones.
He said we’d been none too early, as the soil had started to freeze under the mulch. Having done soil testing in November as the idea is to test when the plants stop growing, having frozen ground for this round only firms up my conviction of a hard winter to come.
At some point, I may test each of the pastures so the hayman can amend them. But that’s in the future.
As each bucket came in, I would mix the contents well, then scoop out a cup of soil.
I had prepared the 3 bags and the form, which can be found here.
Making sure I put the check inside with the form, I added the 3 bags of soil (each well labeled) and some bubble wrap so they wouldn’t bang around, and sent them off to the post office with my helper friend.
Then I figured out work for him to do, and went back to bed. He was actually starting the project to clean out the office (and the treadmill) so I can start using it. He woke me when he had to go so I got up, made leftovers lunch, and watched Christmas movies.
I was so exhausted from Thursday and didn’t feel much better by evening. I expect I won’t get much done on Saturday either.