Soil is the foundation of every successful garden, lawn, pasture and field crop. Building a strong foundation requires a soil sample to see how much lime and fertilizer is needed to produce a bountiful crop. With the North Carolina Department of Agriculture you can submit a free soil sample from April to Thanksgiving. Once you get your sample report back it will tell you how much of each nutrient is needed. Lime takes a few months to activate in the soil to correct your soil pH. Getting this done sooner rather than later is important for next year's garden. On your soil report it will have an index showing how much phosphorus and potassium is in your soil. If it is above the minimum index level line on the index graph, adding more phosphorus or potassium is generally of no benefit. In North Carolina the nitrogen recommendation is recommended on approximate plant needs. We do not test for nitrogen needs in North Carolina so prior field history is needed to make a good recommendation. If you had a legume cover crop you may not need the amount of nitrogen the soil report is recommending. The amount of nitrogen provided by legumes varies by species. If you have any questions about legumes or soil sampling please give N.C. Cooperative Extension, Lee County Center a call at 919-775-5624.

Jared Butler is the Agriculture Agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension in Lee County.