Get your soil screened for free at Frogtown Farm!

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Soil Sample Screening!

Frogtown Farm will have on-site soil screening for lead, pH, and soil texture available on Thursday, June 13, 2019 from 4:00am to 7:00pm. As part of the Soil Kitchen-Twin Cities project, faculty and students from the UMN Dept. of Soil, Water and Climate are bringing equipment that will screen soil samples for lead, pH, and soil texture. 

In order to take advantage of this opportunity, please bring a dry, composite sample from your prospective or existing garden space in an open, Ziploc bag to the event (see diagram). The analysis requires a sample of 2 cups of soil or more.

Here are the steps to follow in taking your soils sample:

  1. Choose 3-5 locations scattered within your area of interest (i.e. front lawn, back lawn, vegetable garden). Composite samples can be taken from garden spaces/growing spaces. If you want to do lead screening specifically around past or current buildings, or where cars were parked, then consider bringing a separate composite sample for that.

  2. Remove grass, weeds, leaves from the surface

  3. Use a clean trowel or shovel, and a clean bucket

  4. Dig down 3-4” at each of the locations and put the soil in the bucket

  5. Mix the samples in the bucket, remove rocks and let dry

  6. Put 2 cups of your mixed soil sample into a plastic bag. Bring your sample and if you are submitting more than one sample you may use a code to identify each sample for your own information. Multiple samples will be accommodated if space and time allows.

  7. Bring it to the Community Celebration on Thursday, June 13 and learn about your soil!