What is the procedure for taking soil samples?
Collect a slice or core of soil (4 inches deep for lawns, 6 to 8 inches deep for gardens) from 8 to 10 random locations across the lawn or garden. Mix these cores together in a plastic bucket. Fill a soil box with this mixture and label it so you know which area it came from. For most garden areas, one sample/plot should be adequate. However, certain areas may need to be sampled and labeled separately if soil types are obviously different or if plants with different requirements are being grown. In such cases, label samples from each unique area differently: e.g., FRONT, BACK, SIDE, etc.
