Soil Sampling

For home gardeners and community gardens, the University of Maryland Extension Home Garden Information Center has a very helpful webpage on soil testing, with a video showing you how to collect a sample, a list of testing labs, and a series of FAQs.

Soil sampling procedures for nutrient management

How do I sample for the PSNT? Where is the best place to sample for the PSNT? What if I have many fields?

A soil test analysis is one of the most important parts of the Nutrient Management Plan. Typical farm management leads to certain expectations from soil testing. Occasionally folks come into the office with questionable results. Perhaps you have received a soil analysis that shows a field to be high in phosphorus and are wondering if it is accurate. If the soil tests differently than expected, we are justified in questioning these results. What should be done?

The 2019 Extension annual report