Take The Guesswork Out Of Gardening With A Soil Test

Soil testing is a valuable tool to ensure success in your lawn and garden.  It provides a quick and accurate determination of the pH (acidity) and the level of several plant essential nutrients like: phosphorous, potassium, calcium, and magnesium.  These results will help guide your decisions on plant selection, soil preparation, and fertilization.  These decisions have a huge impact on whether your plants and lawn thrive or become victim to insect attack and fungal or bacterial diseases.  Over or under fertilization can be the difference in a beautiful lawn and garden or an eye-sore.  Good soil fertility can also help your lawn compete with weeds.   Many weed species thrive in poor fertility soil.

 

Soil testing can be done at any time of the year, but winter months provide a great opportunity to prepare for the spring.  If pH changes need to be made then it gives a chance for it to work before fertilization in the spring.  Below is a link to instructions on how to take a soil test.

 

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.