Soil Testing

[ozarklady]

Okay folks, I need input!
I want to do a soil test. Problem is... there is snow covering the ground. This is not a normal occurence for me. I normally have 3 days of snow per year... not an issue. This year, I have only had about 3 days without snow since Christmas.

I really need to plant the really early crops soon, no problem, I will set up tunnels, the same ones used last fall to prevent frost, but with plastic on them, this time, not fabric.

But, I have a terrible time growing onions and legumes. So, I thought a soil test just might be in order. Well, the snow is in the way. I can dig past it, but then the dirt will be wet,wet, wet.
Would it hurt to dig up a shoe box full of soil, bring it inside to dry some, then mix the soil from several locations and fill the bag thing for soil testing? Will I contaminate the soil by bringing it inside to dry some?

Is there a best way to get a soil test, from a snow covered garden?

I used search and could find nothing about soil testing listed.

[mnjrutherford]

Good questions! I think I would ask my extension agent about it. The bag thing is unfamiliar to me. We are told NOT to bag the sample and we are given small cardboard boxes. Good luck!

[mjc]

Call your county extension office...they will have the kits that you need and the instructions on how to go about it.

[Alan]

I agree with that for sure, give the extension office a call, they will be your best bet for finding the information that you will need.

[darwinslair]

Is the ground frozen? And if so, how far down?

Our ground is barely frozen at all beneath the snow. We have a snowpack of about 30 inches and it has insulated the ground enough that is it frozen only about 2 inches down.

Nice for the perennials. Dont think I will lose any this year. I usually cover with a couple inches of leaves in the fall in case we do not have much snow for extra protection. Was not needed this year (not that I knew that would be the case last fall)

Tom

[bluelacedredhead]

Here's a Soil Sample outline from a well respected Laboratory in my area. They do testing for some of the Giant pumpkin folks I know.
The only mention of contamination while collecting the samples deals with the container used (eg galvanized pails are a no-no).

Note the suggestions for extruding samples in frozen ground. Hope this helps.

www.alcanada.com/indexx.php