How do I tell the ph in my soil?
by
Jodi
+4
I had attempted 2 times to grow cucumbers last year and the plants all died.
In another part of the small garden my tomatoes always grow great.
I heard my ph maybe off, can you give me any advice? Thank you, Jodi
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You can purchase a soil testing kit from nurseries or home improvement centers, or take some soil and have it tested in you local cooperative extension service
Easy! Any home improvement or nursery or garden center sells soil testing kits. Not expensive. Another good resource is your local Ag Extension office. They have great staff that will be able to provide information for your area.
If you live near a small town or city, go to the local farm and ranch store or the govermental agency for agriculture (can't remember the official name). But all of these places have soil testing facilities or know where they are. Also, any good gardening book can tell you how to test your soil. Basically, you dig up small samples of the soil all around your garden, combine them, and these are the sample you give to a testing agency. There are also do-it-yourself test kits out there, but they are not as reliable. Also, I'd let that part of the garden "lay fallow" with no crops at all for a season/year, just in case you have some soil bacteria or other parasites that could be damaging your cukes. Cukes are easy to grow, so you are right to suspect the soil...They do need rich soil, tho, so get some compost and add it as recommended, just to help, if you do decide to plant more. I stand by a really good gardening book to use as a reference, like a Rodale or Organic Garden publication that covers all parts of gardening...Good luck.
But a soil testing kit.