1. K-State home
  2. »Brownfields and Urban Agriculture
  3. »Soil Testing

Brownfields and Urban Agriculture

Soil Testing

Soil testing is important for various reasons. If you are contemplating establishing a garden on a brownfield site, you want to know if there are potentially contaminants from previous uses present in site soils. Knowing this will enable you to implement best management practices (BMPs) to stabilize these contaminants, or to decide to garden in raised beds or at another site altogether. You also should test the soils for agronomic parameters (pH, nutrient status, organic matter content) and, based on the test results, add amendments as necessary to make sure you will have a productive garden.