Amanda Blum is a freelancer who writes about smart home technology, gardening, and food preservation. Previously, Amanda has worked as a technology strategist specializing in problem solving and ...

Woman sticking pH meter tester in soil - Deyan Georgiev/Shutterstock Soil testing is the simple secret that keeps gardens blooming and lawns looking lush. To know the soil is to know the life it ...

Test your soil early in fall so you can amend it in time for a healthy spring garden. Use results to adjust pH, add compost, or apply fertilizer as needed. Also weed, remove dead plants, and plant ...

Regularly testing your soil is more important than you might think for helping your plants thrive. Soil tests measure soil pH and nutrient content. The soil of established gardens should be tested ...

Peter Richards tests the reliability of do-it-yourself home soil test kits. This week on The Family Plot: Gardening in the Mid-South, local gardener Peter Richards demonstrates how to use different ...

Some gardens explode with life while others struggle, and the difference almost always starts underground. Soil holds secrets, and those secrets decide whether plants thrive, barely survive, or give ...