Darke County, OH – Do you feel like your lawn or garden is lacking in some areas? Are you uncertain what fertilizers to use or amounts to apply in order to increase productivity? If so, you should consider soil sampling. Soil sampling is a tool farmers use to assess their nutrient needs for crop production. Why not apply this method to your garden, it’s essentially the same thing on a smaller scale. A soil sample analysis will tell you what fertilizers or treatments are needed to adjust your current garden levels for the coming year. A soil sample indicates whether you need to add lime or sulfur to achieve a desired pH level. It can also show a surplus or deficiency in organic matter, potassium, phosphorus, and other nutrients. With this information, you are no longer blindly applying unneeded fertilizers which could save you money. Darke SWCD will again be a collection point for homeowners to bring in their soil samples. If you are interested in having a soil analysis for your garden, lawn or flower bed, bring your samples to our office by September 13, 2023.
The cost for each soil sample is $15, and there’s no limit on how many samples you can submit. Here are some tips for pulling a representative soil sample:
- Use a soil probe to pull your cores. (Available to borrow from Darke SWCD at no cost!)
- Remove any top debris, residue or turf thatch from the area.
- Pull your cores 6-8” deep. If you are sampling a lawn, lift the sod and sample 3” deep.
- Pull cores from as many places as possible (a single soil sample consists of 18-20 cores) to cover the entire sampling area in a zigzag pattern.
- Take a separate soil sample for different areas (lawn, garden, flower bed, etc.)
After you collect your soil sample, allow the cores to dry. Once they have dried, place your
soil sample in a paper bag and bring it to the Darke SWCD office located at 1117 Southtowne Court, Greenville. We are open Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm. If you have any questions or would like to borrow a soil probe, please don’t hesitate to stop by, call us at 937-548-1715 ext. 3 or email jared.coppess@darkeswcd.com. Soil sampling is a great way to save money, be environmentally friendly and increase your gardens productivity. It is an effective way to understand the current nutrient levels in your garden, gives you an idea of what you can do in preparation for the next growing season and provides you a baseline to compare with future samples.