soil testing

Many people who have small backyard gardens go through a process of putting their garden to rest for the winter after they harvest. This may involve removing all the plants and roots of the vegetables they have grown, and adding them to a nearby compost pile; tilling the soil, and adding compost, fertilizer and mulch or straw to sink into the garden soil over the winter. Each of these steps can be important for the future use of the garden, but another thing that should be done is to have soil testing performed. You can do this, yourself, or send a soil sample to a professional to be analyzed.

This will tell you what additives or amendments you need before planting next year’s fruits and vegetables in your garden. Some of the plants may have developed fungus or bacteria which spread to the soil. Some areas may have excess nitrogen, while others may be nearly washed out of nutrients needed to grow healthy plants. By soil testing at the end of the growing season, you can amend the soil over the winter, re-test, and plant your new garden in the spring with confidence. The pH level of your gardening soil is important, and the needs can vary from vegetable to vegetable. Achieving healthy and nurturing soil, overall, is the goal for your garden through the winter. You can amend specific areas once you are ready to plant, if necessary.

Gardening is not rocket science, but it is common knowledge that the more you understand about the soil and watering needs of your plants, the better and more productive your garden will be each year.

When the time comes to have a water well drilled on your property for your family’s use, there are many factors to consider. You may think that there’s nothing more involved than making sure that there is a water source, but in reality, you need to have several tests performed before you have a well drilled. Soil testing is important to make sure that there are no chemicals, bacteria or other contaminants which may seep into the groundwater and make their way into your water well. It may be necessary to choose a different site for your well if the soil is damaged.

Water quality testing is also important in making sure that the water your well fills with is safe and clean. No matter what the soil testing results have shown, you must always perform water testing, as well, because when digging a well you have no idea where the actual source of the water is, or what soil conditions it has passed through to get to your well site. The water could have picked up any number of harmful contaminants and bacteria along the way. Hard water, sediment, arsenic and barium are just a few of the things that water should be tested for before being deemed safe to drink.

Before you have an expensive well drilled, perform the tests you will need to make sure that the water you will use in your home is clean and safe. The health of your family is more important than a convenient well site: If the best location is 50 feet in another direction, then go with the safe choice.

Gardeners know the value of soil testing. It helps them figure out what needs to be added or neutralized in order to grow their vegetables. Soil testing can also indicate a problem with ground water. If the ground water in your area is contaminated it will create a problem with the soil and seep into your vegetables. Do not allow your hard work in the garden to be wasted time, and do not let contaminated ground water be the cause of illness in your family.

If you find anything unusual with your soil you should also consider water sample testing to make sure that the groundwater has not caused an imbalance or contamination in the soil you plan on growing food in for your family.

This is especially important after flooding or earthquakes which can impact the groundwater, septic and well systems around you. Gardeners need to be aware of and monitor many different things in order to successfully grow food. Insects, soil pH, water quality and the weather all can affect a crop.

When is the last time you did any soil testing for your home? Do you grow a garden every year? Does your family get their drinking water from a well on your property? Do your children play in the yard and in the dirt? If you answered yes to any of these questions then you seriously need to consider investing in soil testing this year.

When you have your soil tested, it not only tells you what is in your soil, but can also indicate what is in the water beneath your soil that goes into your home. All of the chemicals that are in the soil will eventually reach your water supply. The soil may not be able to filter out all of the chemicals, and your family may suffer because of it. With all the pollutants in the air and the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides on almost every commercial farm around you, shouldn’t soil testing be a top priority for you and your family?

You may not spend a lot of time thinking about groundwater or soil testing but these can be important to the safety of your family. In areas where septic tanks and private wells exist it is especially important to make sure that there is no dangerous leakage, bacteria and disease seeping into the groundwater which then makes its way to your well.

Groundwater can also affect the soil you plant your garden in each year. Water testing and soil testing are two services that you should be aware of if you have a septic tank, drain field, private well, live near a creek or stream or in a low lying area with a large amount of groundwater.

It is not expensive to have your soil or water tested, and when compared to the expense of an illness or even death due to contaminated water, it is easy to see that it is worth the investment into the safety of your family.