As the snow flies and your toes seem like they will never thaw out, it is hard to think that gardening season is right around the corner. But, spring will come like it does every year and everyone will be out and about in their yards and gardens with hopes of cultivating a delicious crop of tomatoes or sweet corn.
One often overlooked step in preparing yards and gardens for the growing season is having a soil test done. Soil testing is not only important for farmers, it is paramount to the success of a garden too. A typical soil test will tell a grower their pH, Organic Matter Content, Phosphorus and Potassium levels. All plants require certain nutrients to carry out their life cycle, thus rendering you a big juicy tomato or a long ear of sweet corn.
These nutrients include Carbon, Oxygen, Hydrogen (all supplied by the atmosphere), Nitrogen, Potassium, Phosphorus, Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfur, Chlorine, Iron, Manganese, Boron, Zinc, Copper, Molybdenum and Nickel. All of these nutrients are considered to be essential to a plant to carry out its life cycle.
pH is the potential hydrogen ion in water, simply how acidic or basic something is. Each plant likes a different pH range in the soil, so it is important to manage pH to keep your plants healthy! Finally Organic Matter, is the content of decaying matter found in soil, it is a major constituent of the essential plant nutrients needed for a plant to complete its life cycle.
So what? All of this means that as a gardener, it is up to you to keep your plants healthy. Having our lab carry out a soil test for your lawn or garden will put you one step closer to that juicy tomato you have been dreaming about all winter!
-reap what you sow-