Need to test your soil? Here’s how.
Lead and other contaminants in soil are a big concern in a lot of Maine towns, and if you want to grow food in your yard, it is highly recommended that you test your soil first. All you need to test your soil is a free soil test kit available at any University of Maine Cooperative Extension office. If you are unable to pick one up in person, they will mail one to you. Find the nearest office or the order form on the Cooperative Extension website (umaine.edu/soiltestinglab). The kit includes a box for your soil sample, a form that must be filled out to tell the lab in Orono what you want to grow in the tested soil, and a bulletin titled “Testing Your Soil.”
To collect your sample, you will need a shovel, trowel or a soil sampling tool and a clean bucket. You’ll take a minimum of 10 samples for each area you wanted tested, taking the samples down to a depth of about 8 inches. Mix the soil well in the bucket and fill the soil sample box with soil. You do not have to dry the sample. Mail the sample to the University of Maine Soil Testing Service in Orono. Though the kit is free to pick up, there is a $20 processing fee for the sample. (Pricing on January 2024; visit the UMaine website for latest pricing.)
For more information, visit the UMaine soil testing lab website or watch the informational video on the Cooperative Extension website.
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Green & Healthy Maine is published by TheSunriseGuide, LLC. This article originally ran in the 2018 SunriseGuide.