Burlington Garden Center

An Easy Way to Determine Your Soil Type

1. Collect soil samples from five different areas in the garden digging down at least six inches.

2. Mix together. Using a colander, sift out larger particles.

3. Place one cup of fine sifted soil in a clean straight-sided mason jar.

4. Add 1 tablespoon of powdered dishwasher detergent. Fill jar with water.

5. Shake for three minutes.

6. Let it set undisturbed for 1-2 days.

7. The sand particles are the first to settle, then the silt and finally the clay.

8. Using a ruler, measure the total amount of soil. This will represent 100 %.  Now measure each layer dividing each measurement by the total number of inches. This will give you a percentage for each soil component.

9. Plot each percentage on the Soil Texture Chart. Your soil type can be found where the three lines intersect.

10. Amend your soil based on your soil type. In general, loamy soil is ideal. Soil high in clay will benefit from a good dose of organic matter to increase aeration.  Soil high in sand will gain water and nutrient holding capacity with more organic matter.