Not all gardening subjects are as sexy as the source of seed, which I wrote about last week. But the season of garden work is almost here, and it’s time to talk about soil testing.
For years I paid no attention to this. When people talked about the importance of knowing what was in the dirt in which I planted my garden, I tuned them out. In the spring I would add an inch or two of compost and sprinkle on some 10-10-10 fertilizer (the numbers refer to the N-P-K ratio in the fertilizer; N stands for nitrogen, P for phosphorous, and K for potassium) and considered my soil good.
This year I’m going to turn over a new leaf.
What caused my change of heart was listening to a talk by John Barry, a member of the Western Massachusetts Master Gardeners’ Association. He lamented that so many people routinely add lime and fertilizer to their lawns and gardens without having any idea what deficiencies their soil might have. He compared this haphazard approach to taking medicine when you don’t know if you’re sick or not.
There are several reasons to test your soil. First, you don’t want to spend money on fertilizer and soil amendments that you don’t need. Second, application of excess fertilizers contaminates the environment through runoff and leaching. Third, if you plan to eat what you grow, you want to make sure your soil isn’t contaminated with lead or other heavy metals. Fourth, you want to maximize your soil’s productivity by improving its nutritional balance. If your primary interest is in growing flowers, you will want a different composition than if you’re growing vegetables. Finally, knowing your soil’s analysis makes it easier to troubleshoot growing problems.
Soil is made up of sand, silt and clay. The best soil for gardening contains equal parts of these, so that it is diggable, holds moisture but also drains well. (If you’ve ever tried to garden in heavy clay, you know how challenging it is.)
Beyond these components, soil also has a pH level, that is, its relative acidity, measured on a scale of 0 to 14. Seven is considered neutral. Anything below 7 is considered acidic; anything above 7 is considered alkaline.
The ideal pH for gardens is somewhere between 5.5 and 7.5. Within this range, the phosphorous in the soil is soluble, meaning that it dissolves in water and can be taken up by a plant’s roots.
Certain plants love acidic soils. These include rhododendrons, azaleas, hollies, hydrangeas, tomatoes and blueberries. If your soil isn’t acidic enough, you can use naturally acidic mulches such as pine needles, bark chips or peat moss to boost acidity. Other plants, such as lilacs and lavender, do best in neutral to alkaline soils. If your soil is too acidic, you will want to add lime to raise the alkalinity level.
Soil testing is easy. The University of Massachusetts Soil and Plant Nutrient Testing Lab offers a variety of soil, plant tissue, compost, greenhouse media and metals analyses to assist home gardeners as well as professional landscapers and contractors. A routine soil analysis will determine several basic characteristics of your soil. The UMass website soiltest.umass.edu provides detailed information, cost for various tests and instructions on how to collect samples and where to send them. The website also provides order forms that you can print out and send in with payment. Routine analysis costs $15 per sample; additional tests cost more.
To get the best results, follow the sample collecting guidelines on the UMass website carefully. Make sure your samples are properly labeled, clean and free of grass, pebbles and other debris. You will receive results by email or, for a slight additional charge, by regular mail.
It’s best to sample your soil early in the season so that pH adjustments can be made as early as possible. Test your soil before you add fertilizer to get an accurate reading.
Another important reason to sample early is that the UMass lab gets extremely busy this time of year. Normal turnaround time is around five business days, but in the busy season it can take 12 to 14 business days to get results.
Depending on your results, you can take appropriate steps to adjust your pH or improve your soil’s nutrient balance. When you consider the amount of money you spend on seeds, seedlings, plants, shrubs and trees, it’s certainly worth the time and money to make sure that your soil is in optimal condition for the work that lies ahead.
The 13th annual Berkshire Gardening Symposium will take place Apr. 8 from 7:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. at the Lenox Memorial Middle and High School, 197 East St., Lenox. There will be 14 workshops to choose from, including growing organic lawns, all about tomatoes, daylilies and mushroom cultivation. There also will be a raffle, bonsai sale, plant sale and experts on hand to answer your questions. Contact Marilyn Wiley for more information. 623-5859; marilynwiley8@gmail.com.
The Northampton Community Garden has plots available for the 2017 gardening season. The plots are 20 by 20 feet and accessible to water.
New gardeners can only take one plot the first year but can increase to as many as four plots in subsequent years. The fee for the first plot is $22. The garden is on Burts Pit Road near the former state hospital site. Please contact the Northampton Recreation Department to register and pay for your plot. The office is on the grounds of JFK Middle School on Bridge Road. It is at the rear of the school on the right in a pre-fab building.
As kids, my siblings and I were demon birdwatchers. We kept lists and fought over our mother’s tattered copy of Peterson’s Field Guide to Eastern Birds. We’re still at it (although now we each have our own bird guides), so I can attest that childhood is the perfect time to develop this lifelong passion. Spring migration is the most exciting time of year to get out and see birds. The Hitchcock Center in Amherst is offering a six-week birdwatching program for kids ages 8 to 13 with Dan Ziomek, local birder and host of WRSI’s “Bird Songs” radio show. The program will take place on Saturdays, 7:30 to 10 a.m. from April 8 to May 13. Space is limited, registration is required. Go to hitchcockcenter.org for more information.
Mickey Rathbun can be reached at foxglover8@gmail.com.