Categories: Flowers & PerennialsLandscapingVegetable & Fruit Gardening

Where To Get Your Garden Soil Tested (State-By-State U.S.)

Garden soil testing, especially in vegetable gardens, should be done periodically. Because you’re growing plants that demand more than their fair share of resources to produce food, your soil may at some point become less fertile and produce stunted plants, low yields, or other problems. But the only way to know for sure if the problem is with the soil or if it’s caused by pests or disease is with a soil test.

If you test your garden soil once every few seasons, you’ll discover problems before they affect your plants. A soil test can reveal problems with pH, a lack of organic matter, nutrient deficiencies, and soil texture. Soil pH is often overlooked by gardeners, but plants grown in a too-low or too-high pH may have problems taking up or utilizing nutrients, even if they’re plentiful in the soil. The soil testing lab will send you a list of recommendations along with your test results.

Sample your garden soil according to the lab’s directions

Most soil test labs will send instructions on how to take a proper soil sample, or it will appear somewhere on their website. It’s critical to follow these instructions so that you have a representative sample of your entire garden or lawn. Taking a spadeful of soil from just one spot in your garden or lawn will not produce accurate results.

Garden Soil Testing Labs in Your State

Below is a chart of soil testing labs by U.S. state. Please let us know if any of these links are out of date or not functional or if you know of additional resources.

Nationally:

Alabama	Auburn University Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
Alaska	University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service
Arizona	University of Arizona Cooperative Extension
Arkansas	University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
California	University of California Master Gardeners Orange County
Colorado	Colorado State University
Connecticut	University of Connecticut Soil Nutrient Analysis Laboratory
Delaware	University of Delaware Soil Testing Program
Florida	University of Florida/IFAS Extension
Georgia	University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Hawaii	University Of Hawaii East Hawaii Master Gardener Program
Idaho	University of Idaho Extension
Illinois	University of Illinois Extension (list of statewide soil testing labs)
Indiana	Purdue University Extension
Iowa	Iowa State University Extension
Kansas	Kansas State University Department of Agronomy
Kentucky	University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment
Louisiana	Louisiana State University Ag Center
Maine	University Of Maine Cooperative Extension
Maryland	University of Maryland Extension
Massachusetts	University of Massachusetts, Amherst Center for Agriculture, Food, and The Environment
Michigan	Michigan State University
Minnesota	University of Minnesota Soil Testing Laboratory
Mississippi	Mississippi State University Extension Soil Testing Lab
Missouri	University of Missouri Extension Soil and Plant Testing Laboratory
Montana	Montana State University
Nebraska	University of Nebraska-Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Nevada	University of Nevada Extension College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources
New Hampshire	University of New Hampshire Extension
New Jersey	Rutgers Soil Testing Laboratory
New Mexico	New Mexico State University College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences
New York	Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
North Carolina	North Carolina Cooperative Extension
North Dakota	North Dakota State University Extension
Ohio	Ohio State University Extension and Logan Labs
Oklahoma	Oklahoma State University Ferguson College of Agriculture
Oregon	Oregon State University Extension
Pennsylvania	Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences
Rhode Island	University of Rhode Island Master Gardener Program
South Carolina	Clemson University Ag Service Lab
South Dakota	South Dakota State University Extension
Tennessee	University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture
Texas	Texas A&M Agrilife Extension
Utah	Utah State University Extension
Vermont	University of Vermont Agricultural and Environmental Testing Lab
Virginia	Virginia Tech State Soil Testing Lab
Washington	Washington State University
West Virginia	West Virginia University Soil Testing Laboratory
Wisconsin	University of Wisconsin Soil and Forage Laboratory
Wyoming	University of Wyoming

Todd Heft

Todd Heft is a lifelong gardener and the publisher of Big Blog of Gardening. He lives in the Lehigh Valley, PA with his wife who cooks amazing things with the organic fruits, vegetables, and herbs he grows. When he isn't writing or reading about organic gardening, he's gardening. His book, Homegrown Tomatoes: The Step-By-Step Guide To Growing Delicious Organic Tomatoes In Your Garden is available on Amazon.