With harvest almost around the bend, many gardeners are thinking about what to plant next season. This often means planning your crop rotations and determining what fall fertilizer you may be applying. Some of you may have heard about getting your soil tested before planning next year’s garden. But why should you do it?

There are several important nutrients in the soil that are crucial for plant growth. For example, plants need macro-nutrients like nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) potassium (K) & sulfur (S) and micronutrients like calcium, magnesium, etc. In order to have healthy plants, the soil must have enough nutrients to support the plant’s needs throughout the growing season. Soil testing measures a variety of nutrient levels in the samples, giving you crucial information needed for determining what your garden needs. Knowing your nutrient levels in the garden reduces the likelihood of over fertilizing and saves you money from purchasing unnecessary fertilizer which could be doing more harm than good. Soil testing should be done yearly, at the same time each year to help monitor nutrient levels and to ensure that your current nutrient application plan is ideal for your garden.

This is particularly important after a drought year. During a drought, plants don’t get enough water to grow to their full potential, which means the plants will be smaller and produce less. Since the plants are smaller, they use fewer nutrients from the soil. This means more N, P, K and other micronutrients are left in the soil after harvest than normal years. Therefore, fewer nutrient inputs are required to reach the optimal nutrient levels in your garden.

Thinking of testing your soil this fall? Our Basic + package covers the most important nutrients we’ve listed above and more for the affordable price of $46.50 CAD + tax. You can find more details about this package here.