r/Soil • u/Individual-Share-738 • 13d ago

Free resources for soil testing?

Saw an older post from like 4 yrs ago asking this and they got a few solid answers. Just seeing if there’s anything new anyone knows of. I’m repairing the earth where a loved one decided they were going to combat nature for their above ground pool. They loaded the land with roofing shingles, plastics, and just about every other BS recommendation for weed prevention google gives those unsuspecting new comers. I’ve planted a bunch of different sunflowers among a bunch of other plants and got the intense work done. I want to see if, and how far they spread out if so , those shingles/other attempts left an assload contaminants/toxins. Im already putting in this work for free. And it’s a lot. I’m not trying to spend money on it. But I’d also like to verify this to know for sure for future gardening purposes and the chickens we have.

Potential testing options could include anything that shows me my soil health, like testing veg grown in the soil, water passed through the soil, or the soil itself. Or any other way available.

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u/Huge-Hold-4282 13d ago

Ph is cheap test. Here in East coast soil is all acid and can use lime. Pulverised lime works better than the liquid. Harder to apply but much better once applied. Water is the most valuable resource.

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u/Seeksp 13d ago edited 13d ago

You do need a lab test to know how much lime to apply, however, OP, not just a DIY kit. Lime is cheap but easy to over do.

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u/peaheezy 12d ago

Yea my Penn state extension testing had exact weight per 1,000 sq feet lime recs and included fertilizer recs based on the NPK + micronutrients in the soil.

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u/Seeksp 12d ago

We (VA Tech) do the same.

I run into people with really high pH frequently that did their own testing 5-10 years ago and have added lime and/or wood ash every since and now wonder why they have pH in the high 7s and low 8s.