Checking Soil Structure

No pictures today, just finally getting the soil sample together to send to the lab for analysis. How many things get in the way? I mean, literally, what if I were to count how many things got in the way of me doing this before now? And how many were true obstacles vs. obstacles of the mind. So here they are, labeled.

The original plan called for me to do this in the fall. Then I didn't do it because I had just planted alfalfa and I didn't want to disturb it. Seriously -- I'm taking about a cup of soil out of the ground and I really think that this will disturb my entire planting of alfalfa? Uh huh. I just let that thought get in the way.

Second, it was winter and snowy. I suppose I could have dug under the snow and found some dirt. I'm sure it's still there even though there is snow on top. As far as I know, the soil does not actually disappear in winter. I have no actual empirical evidence, however, that my garden plot did not actually cease to exist when there was snow on it because - you guessed it - I did not dig under the snow to extract a mere cupful of soil for a sample.

Third, I didn't think of it much. It wasn't actively high on my to-do list. Plus, it was very, very easy to put off. It was not something that HAD TO BE DONE. However, I'd hate to waste all my efforts and resources in planting if the soil needs a fix (pun! ha ha!).

I didn't know what kind of a container to put it in. In my head, I pictured test tubes or specific plastic containers. After letting this buzz about in my head for a few weeks (or more!) I actually looked it up online and found out you can just send it in a plastic baggie.

Of course, I had just run out of plastic baggies. Plan forward....

Didn't think I had the spare change to do it for awhile. I mean, I had to buy the baggies, pay for the sample and the postage. Come on, $20 is $20!

The ground got cold. Even without snow, it was cold. Yeah. Like the ground was completely frozen, hard as a rock. Uh huh. I could still have easily extracted a mere cup of dirt even when it was cold. I mean, it was around 20 - 30 F. Not, say, 40 below.

So busy. So many other things to do. So easy to just do those other things.

Finally, last weekend it rained. Lots and lots of rain. And an amazing warm breeze caressed us (in the rain). The kind of breeze that gets you thinking about spring and the possibility that it may actually happen sometime in the next, oh eight weeks or so. Ha ha. But the ground was sopping wet and who wants to dig up a sample when it's wet outside.

So today I was outside (having just returned home after an errand) and I noticed something: I was outside. I had freedom to dig up soil. I had time. I had a baggie. I could get online and look up the address. I could go to the post office. I had $20 to pay for it all. I mean, here I am blogging about it and even though I type pretty fast, it's taken me as much time to blog about it as it has to go and do it! So I did it.

Course then I realized you had to print out the paper from the lab. I had no ink in my computer and I don't plan to get more ink today. But I didn't let this stop me. I copied the paper in longhand (not so much to write) and gave them all the information they wanted. Now...now is the time to go to the post office. Now. Now...see, I'm going...going...gone...as soon as...

Sample 1 = garden spot. Sample 2 = currant bush spot.