Testing your soil is an important first step in being able to judge how to make your garden thrive. There are several means by which you can test your soil, most can be done with nothing but your hands, some water, and a shovel or trowel. See the links below for more information on what you can do today at home.
In many cases, you may want to send off a sample of your soil to a lab, to test for chemical properties such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium content.
Test at home for:
Composition, water retention, and biological health
PH Balance