Austin Food Gardeners, get the scoop on your dirt at the Austin Soil Kitchen!

Free food garden soil screening for heavy metals and testing for pH and nutrients for people living in the city of Austin. Soil from your Austin home, school or community food garden is eligible.

See the step-by-step process for preparing your same and more here: Soil Kitchen | AustinTexas.gov

How to Take a Sample for Free Soil Testing

1. Gather a garden trowel, one quart-sized zip-top plastic bag, a permanent marker, a measuring cup and a clean, shallow pan.
2. Use the marker to label the zip-top bag with your initials, the date the samples were taken and the closest street intersection to where the sample is from. (Please do not give the exact address).
3. Dig five to ten holes in different spots around the food garden. Use your trowel to make a cone shape in the soil and dig at least six inches down. Mix all the soil together in the shallow pan.
4. Remove any rocks, grass or dead plant material from your soil and mix it together.
5. Measure two cups of the mixed soil. Put it into your labeled zip-top bag and seal it shut.
6. Drop off your soil sample at the Soil Kitchen on March 4. You’ll receive instructions on how to get your results following the event.