How To Take A Representative Soil Sample In Large Yard With Different Types Of Soil

Question From: R. Cooper - Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, United States
Q: In Friday's, May 6, Homestyle article you talk about having your soil tested. I've always wondered about that. My question is: I have a good size lot, about 1/2 acre with many beds. The problem is that it looks to me as if I have many different types of soil - in some places it seems clay like, other places seem loamy and rich. How will testing my soil in one place tell me the makeup of my 1/2 acre variety?

A: Chances are the pH is the same throughout. When you take a soil test you take samples from several sections of the area you are dealing with and mix them together. Lucky you that your entire yard is not clay. Best And Happy Yardening, Nancy