Farm Notes
I know spring is still a good while away, but something about today felt like spring for the first time all year… and it was GLORIOUS. I was able to spend several hours this afternoon outside just working in the dirt, wearing a t-shirt and giant smile. I can finally feel the days getting longer, the air has a gentle warmth to it, and life around the farm is beginning to buzz back to life. Just in the last day or two – we’ve been surrounded by the sound of frogs singing in the creek at the edge of the farm, and it’s the most magical chorus after a silent winter.
Today I took soil tests from several spots around the garden, which we do once a year in early spring. Here in North Carolina, we send the soil samples to get analyzed through NCDA&CS – it’s $4 per sample, and they will come back in a few weeks to let us know the different nutrient values, pH, amount of organic matter, etc in our soil, which helps us make informed decisions for adding amendments to the soil for the season ahead. My whole philosophy around growing good food starts with having healthy, living soils – so these tests are an important benchmark to track our progress as we build soil that is (hopefully) teeming with life and organic matter.
If you’re new to soil testing and need some tips on how/where to start, here are some best practices:
For best results, invest in a soil sample probe (this one is $34 on Amazon). In a pinch, a garden spade will work, but these probes are specifically made for this job!
In each area where you’d like to soil test, pull a minimum of 8 to 12 soil cores to produce a representative sample.
Soil samples should be pulled from a consistent depth. Using the soil sample probe, I’m able to get to a depth of 8-10” for each sample.
Mix sample cores from each area in a clean bucket/container. If the soil seems especially wet, I recommend spreading it out on a baking sheet and letting it dry overnight. Place the soil in a properly labeled soil test bag or box — one for each field/area (you’ll likely have quite a bit of extra soil that won’t fit in the bag/box). Usually the lab where the samples are being sent will have you fill out a form with information about the area that you are testing.
** A note that in my experience, this type of soil testing is most important when growing vegetables/fruit directly in the ground. If you are growing in raised beds where all the the soil has been brought in, I don’t think that soil testing through a lab is really necessary (though you can certainly still give it a try, if you feel like your soil nutrients are out of balance in your raised beds).
Kitchen Notes
It’s Tuesday, which y’all know means frozen pizza and a big salad over at our house… it hit the spot, as always! I promise more kitchen inspiration coming later this week. :)
Today’s Stats
Low temp: 34F
High temp: 55F
Sunrise: 7:10am
Sunset: 5:53pm
Moon phase: Waning Crescent
Additional notes: Cloudy and cool morning, warm sunshine in the afternoon.