Soil Testing

We decided a basic soil analysis was a good idea after talking with Steve Wilson of Kumulani Farms. I used to live on the property where his farm is, but unfortunately at that time I was not interested in soil and growing things (maybe fortunate for him though because I might have been glued to his leg - he’s such a wealth of knowledge!).

I thought we would be testing for toxins and things like that, but apparently that's not only expensive, but isn’t really necessary unless you have a specific concern about toxicity. If you are concerned about heavy metals, do a layer of cilantro as a ground cover and it will pull the toxins out of the soil, just like it does in your body. Pretty cool, huh? (Steve tip)

There is some discrepancy as to whether you can eat that ground cover when it's done it's job. Steve says eat it – but I wouldn’t unless someone can answer the question where those heavy metals get to, and so far I have no clear answers on that. If the cilantro metabolizes the metals, then OK. But I’ve never heard of heavy metals being metabolized. As I understand it, cilantro binds to the heavy metals in the body so they can be excreted with your mornin’ business, specifically because we can’t metabolize them. So I am a play it safe gal – if you are really concerned about heavy metals, get rid of the ground cover – and not in the compost bin!

We chose to do several basic soil samples because we seemed to have such varying soil qualities. D will have to explain more specifically about basic soil construction. But the bottom line is that different phases need different basic nutrients. So you can start out with some nice growth only to have it wilt, brown, or fail to fruit if you are lacking what the plant requires.

The lab we used was great (recommended by Steve).

Perry Agricultural Laboratory, Inc.
15241 County Road 138
Bowling Green, MO 63334
(573) 324-2931

They weren’t expensive ($37.80 for two soil samples) and they were willing to get on the phone with me and do a little interpreting. We got some important tips about what would happen to our trees down the line if we didn’t take action, about using chicken poo, and other long term considerations.

BTW: For those of you who don’t know, Kumulani Farms in Olinda is where the annual Body and Soil conference happens, and from what I understand, it’s well worth the entrance fee not only to get inspired, but to learn invaluable and practical tips on making any size garden flourish. As Steve will tell you, it’s all about the soil. Early registration discount coming up fast (12/20). Check it out.