This article will discuss some of the Best Soil Test Kits for a Vegetable Garden currently on the market so that you can pick out a kit that meets your needs.
Soil is the foundation for all plant life. If you have a vegetable garden, it’s essential to take good care of your soil and ensure that it’s healthy and fertile. A soil test kit can provide important information about what nutrients are lacking in your soil and help you fertilize accordingly.
Best Soil Test Kit for Vegetable Garden
Best Soil Test Kit for Vegetable Garden – Mail-in
MySoil – Soil Test Kit Starter Pack
The MySoil – Soil Test Kit Starter Pack (Buy Online) is a mail-in soil test kit that gives you professional results at an affordable price. This kit takes all of the guesswork out of growing a successful garden by making professional lab analysis easy to access.
The MySoil Mail-In Test Kit provides comprehensive results by testing your soil’s pH, Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) & Potassium (K), along with all of the essential micronutrients
MySoil Test Kits are the most accurate on the market because they measure nutrients in a natural way using field-moist soil samples without having to dry and grind them first like other methods of analysis require.
All you have to do is take a single sample from any area where you plan on planting vegetables and send it in with the included prepaid mailing envelope, and then you can view your results online within 6 – 8 days;
This means you’ll get results sooner than if you sent a soil sample into your local county extension, with less guesswork involved in interpreting them. And you can amend the soil according to the MySoil apps recommendations in just minutes using a convenient bag of custom-blended amendments, and then get growing.
Soil Savvy – Soil Test Kit
The Soil Savvy Test Kit (Buy Online) includes everything you need to determine your soil’s pH level and 14 key nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, sodium. iron, manganese, zinc, copper, boron, etc) with easy-to-follow instructions on how much fertilizer or lime is needed based on these levels. This makes adding the right amount of fertilizers easy and eliminates the over-application of nutrients when they aren’t needed.
This test kit provides everything you need in one box, including instructions on how to collect and send the sample, so there’s no guesswork involved (and no extra trips to the store). And this kit even includes an instruction booklet as well as tips on how to properly fertilize your garden.
Best Soil Test Kit Electronic
Luster Leaf Digital Soil Test Kit
The Luster Leaf Digital Soil Test Kit (Buy Online) will help you optimize your garden soil so that your plants grow faster, healthier and produce more fruits and vegetables than ever before. This digital kit includes everything you need to get started including 25 tests, a digital colorimeter with instructions, an easy-to-understand booklet that explains how each nutrient benefits plant growth, and much more.
Luster Leaf’s Digital Soil Test Kit uses advanced LED technology to read soil test colors in just seconds. This makes it easier to know what nutrients are lacking in your soil without all of the guesswork involved in trying to interpret the color change in a standard soil test vial.
This Digital Soil Tester makes it simple to get professional quality results right at home. Just follow the instructions in the booklet for step-by-step directions for each of the 25 tests included with this kit (10 pH tests plus 5 nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash).
Best Liquid Soil Test Kit
Luster Leaf Rapitest Soil Test Kit
The Luster Leaf Rapitest Soil Test Kit (Buy Online) makes gardening easy for everyone. This inexpensive kit features an easy-to-use capsule system that provides fast and accurate results in just minutes. The best part? You don’t need any previous knowledge of soil chemistry or pH levels because the instructions are simple and clear enough for anyone to follow.
Lamotte Model El – Turf and Garden Soil Test Kit
The Lamotte Model El – Turf and Garden Soil Test Kit (Buy Online) makes it easy to test the nutrient levels in your garden’s soil. It includes everything you need to get 15 different readings for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium (NPK), and 30 readings for pH. That means you can easily determine how much fertilizer or lime you need to add to each area of your garden based on its unique soil composition.
The kit also comes with a laminated color chart that shows what ranges are considered deficient, adequate, or excessive so you know exactly what kind of nutrients your plants need and if they have enough of them already. And each section in the book has a detailed explanation about how testing works as well as information on which crops grow best in specific conditions.
Best Professional Soil Test Kit
Luster Leaf Products 1663 Professional Soil Kit
The Luster Leaf Professional Soil Kit (Buy Online) contains everything you need for 80 accurate tests. And it provides simple instructions and tips on how to make your soil healthier so you can grow better plants in your vegetable garden.
This kit comes with a sturdy plastic case that holds all components neatly organized inside so they’re always ready when you need them. The liquid-based testing kit is perfect for hobbyists, classrooms, and professionals who want fast results without breaking the bank on expensive kits from other brands like LaMotte or Hanna Instruments.
LaMotte Soil Test Kit Professional
The LaMotte’s Soil Test Kit (Buy Online) is the best professional soil testing kit available for farmers and market gardeners. It uses sophisticated chemical tests that can tell you exactly how much lime or fertilizer you should add to your fields so they produce their maximum yield every year. This is the only way to guarantee that you get the biggest possible harvest from each acre of land in your farm or garden, which means more food for your family or money in your pocket at harvest time.
The problem with soil tests is that they’re expensive and hard to do right. Most home test kits don’t give accurate results because they only measure a few different things at once, so you end up spending money on multiple kits for several different types of plants.
Even if you want to get professional soil testing done by a lab, it’s expensive and takes days to weeks before you know the results.
LaMotte has created a simple yet sophisticated soil test kit that lets anyone take accurate soil samples in just minutes instead of hours or days. This reagent system allows you to measure more than 20 different elements at once using standardized extraction procedures based on the Mehlich I extraction method.
Overall, if you’re a serious homesteader or market gardener then you should consider investing in a professional soil test kit from LaMotte. The upfront costs might be steep, but a soil test kit like this will more than pay for itself over time.
Best Soil Test Strips
Garden Tutor Soil pH and Soil Texture Test kit Bundle
The Garden Tutor Kit (Buy Online) makes testing your soil easy by providing all the tools you’ll need in an easy-to-use package that includes detailed instructions. And you can easily determine your soil type using this kit as well as get accurate results for adjusting your pH levels so that you can grow healthy plants every year.
Best Soil Microbe Test Kit
MicroBiometer – Professional Lab-Grade Soil Test Kit for Microbial Biomass
The Microbiometer (Buy Online) will help you to monitor soil health so that you can reduce or eliminate your reliance on chemical fertilizers. This reduces costs while improving your crop yield and helps you practice sustainable farming/gardening practices.
This soil test kit is a lab-grade tool for testing microbial biomass in samples taken from compost or soils around your property or farm. It measures microbial populations using standard laboratory microbiological counting methods.
With this information, you’ll be able to get more from your plants while spending less money on fertilizers and other additives. And you can even use the data collected over time to diagnose nutrient and biomass deficiencies before they start affecting plant growth.
Best Soil Test Probe Kit
Zerodis Soil Tester Digital Soil Test Kit for NPK
The Zerodis Test Kit (Buy Online) allows you to test your soil for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) levels quickly and easily directly with no chemical reagents. And the results can help you determine what nutrients are lacking in your soil so that you can make adjustments accordingly.
Zerodis provides an affordable solution for professional growers, hobbyists, and even backyard vegetable gardeners who want to ensure their crops reach their maximum growth potential without breaking the bank on costly lab tests.
This test kit offers accurate measurements at a fraction of the cost associated with traditional methods like sending samples off-site for analysis by professionals. It’s simple enough that anyone can use it – just insert the probe into the ground until you feel resistance then turn it on and wait until it starts reading the nutrient levels in your soil.
Best Soil Test pH Kit
Luster Leaf Rapitest Tester Electronic 4-Way Analyzer (0.3 x 0.13 x 0.29 inches)
The Luster Leaf Rapitest Tester Electronic 4-Way Analyzer (Buy Online) makes it easy for anyone to take control of their lawn or garden by providing fast, accurate results in seconds. This electronic 4-way analyzer measures pH levels, soil moisture levels, light intensity, and NPK Levels- all in one unit.
Best Soil Test Extractor
Varomorus Soil Sampler Probe 21″ Stainless Steel Tubular T-Style Handle
The Varomorus Soil Sampler Probe (Buy Online) is the best soil test extractor on the market because it is made from high-quality stainless steel and comes with a Limited Lifetime warranty.
This tool will not break like other tools, so you don’t have to worry about broken handles or bent tubes when you use this product. It’s also easy to clean and maintain, unlike some other products that are hard to keep in good condition.
This probe has a 3/4″ x 8″ deep core for collecting samples from different depths within your garden beds and fields
HiHydro Soil Sampler Probe 12 Inch Stainless Steel with 2 Pcs Reusable Sample Bags
The HiHydro Soil Sampler (Buy Online) is an easy-to-use probe that allows anyone with a small plot of land to get accurate results from their own garden. Simply push the probe into the ground until it reaches your desired depth, then pull out a sample bag and fill it with earth which can be tested in a lab or at home using a reagent system.
Best Portable Soil Test Probe Kit
Portable Soil Sample Probe – Tubular Contractor Grade Stainless Steel With Core Sampling
Area – Compact 12 Inch Size – Includes Soil Sampler Kit Test Bags
This Portable Soil Sample Probe (Buy Online) is designed to make collecting a good quality soil sample quick, easy, and efficient.
Simply insert the probe into your garden bed at any angle between 0° – 45° and push down until you feel resistance (about 2” deep).
Then pull up on the handle while holding the probe still in place to extract a 6″ x 3.5″ piece of soil from your yard that contains both topsoil and subsoil layers.
This will allow you to get accurate results compared to digging when sending out samples for lab testing or when conducting DIY tests yourself at home using any one of the kits on this page.
How Often Should Soil be Tested
How often should soil testing be done? It’s always a good idea to get your soil tested at least once every 3-5 years. The results of the test can provide detailed information about the pH level, degree, and the number of organic particles, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels for that soil.
Plus, if you’re just starting out with a new garden project then it’s important to get your soil tested before you do any work on it because gardening in less than ideal conditions will only lead to poor results over time.
Whether you’re breaking new ground or not though it’s never too late to do a quick check-up on any older plots of land so that your gardens have all the nutrients they need.
When To Do Soil Testing
Soil samples can be taken any time during the year. They are typically best collected in spring or summer to ensure a seasonally varied sample, but it is important not to take them too late into fall and winter since it can be harder to get a representative sample of soil.
How Deep To Dig for Soil Test
For vegetable gardens, the optimal soil test depth is about 4-6 inches because that’s where the majority of nutrients reach their highest concentration.
For most general gardening purposes it’s usually sufficient to collect a soil sample from the top few inches of soil. However, deep soil tests (6-12″+) are typically used in agricultural endeavors or in fruit/nut tree orchards.
