Living Soil Lab.

How to sample your soil

You don't need anything fancy — a trowel or spoon you already own, a zip-top bag, and about 15 minutes. Read through once before you start; the actual sampling goes quickly.

What you'll need

  • A clean trowel, large spoon, or small shovel
  • A zip-top bag to hold the soil
  • A pen or marker to label the bag
  • Any small box or padded envelope for shipping (up to about 1 lb total)
  • The prepaid USPS shipping label from your order email

The steps

  1. Pick your spot

    Decide which area of your garden you most want a read on — one raised bed, one section of lawn, one patch of orchard. Test one area at a time so the results are specific to that ground. If you want to test multiple areas, place additional orders — each comes with its own label and report.

    Avoid sampling if you've recently:

    • Applied fertilizer, compost, or amendments in the last 30 days
    • Limed or sulfured the soil in the last 90 days
    • Heavily watered or had a hard rain within the last 24 hours (let the soil drain first)

    Avoid these locations within your chosen area:

    • Within 6 feet of a tree trunk, fence post, or driveway
    • Compost piles, pet areas, or where you regularly dump yard waste
    • The bare edges of beds where soil mixes with paths or gravel
    • Any area with a lot of biomass (excessive roots, leaf litter)
    • On lawns, push aside the grass thatch first; you want soil, not the green/brown top layer

  2. Take 5 to 8 sub-samples

    This is the most important step. Soil varies a lot even within one bed, so we need a blend from multiple spots — not one scoop from one place.

    Soil sampling pattern A zig-zag path across one garden bed, with six numbered sample points. Walk the pattern and take a thin slice of soil at each numbered spot. Sample area — one bed, lawn section, or patch start end 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dig 4–6 inches deep at each numbered spot. Take a thin slice top-to-bottom. Combine all slices in one bag.
    • Walk a zig-zag or "M" pattern across the area (see diagram above)
    • At each of 5–8 spots along the pattern, dig a small hole 4 to 6 inches deep (the root zone for most garden crops; go 2–3 inches for established lawn)
    • From each hole, take a thin "slice" of soil from top to bottom of the hole — not just the surface
    • Drop each slice into your zip-top bag as you go
    • You want to end up with about 2 cups of soil in the bag — that's about 400g, or just under a pound
    • Squeeze the air out of the bag and seal it

  3. Pack it

    On the bag, write in marker:

    • Your name
    • Today's date

    Put the bag inside any small box or padded envelope you have at home. A shoe box, a small Amazon mailer, a padded bubble mailer — all work fine. Don't worry about cushioning; soil isn't fragile.

    Weight target: up to about 1 lb total. If you're sending more than that, the prepaid label may not cover the full cost.

  4. Print, attach, mail

    From your order confirmation page, print two things: your prepaid USPS shipping label and your QR code. Tape the shipping label to the outside of your envelope (make sure the barcode is flat and not creased). Drop the QR code inside the envelope with your sample bag — the lab scans it on intake to match your sample to your order. Then drop the package at any USPS mailbox, hand it to your mail carrier, or take it to any post office.

    Tracking: your tracking number is in your order email. You'll get an email from us when the lab receives your sample and a second email when your report is ready (about two weeks after the lab receives it).

Frequently asked

Can I sample now if I just fertilized?

Wait 30 days. Sampling right after amendment gives a snapshot of what you just applied, not the underlying soil health.

Does the soil need to be dry?

No — the soil should be moist, not dry. If your soil is soaking wet (right after a rain or heavy watering), let it drain for a day before sampling. Don't oven-dry or microwave the sample; that damages the microbes we're testing.

Can I test container soil or potting mix?

The Soil Nutrition panel works, but the Soil Life panel was designed for in-ground soil — microbial communities in potting mix differ from native garden soil. Results for the living-soil portion may be less actionable.

What if my sample arrives at the lab a week after I mail it?

That's normal and fine for the Soil Nutrition panel. Soil Life results are most accurate if the sample arrives within 5 business days of mailing — the microbes are alive and start changing during shipping. Ship on the day you sampled.

Can I sample the same spot every season and compare?

Yes, and we recommend it. Soil health is a long game; season-over-season change is more informative than any single snapshot. Test the same area each season and you'll see your Soil Nutrition and Soil Life numbers move.

When your report arrives

You'll get an email from us about two weeks after your sample arrives at the lab. The report covers two sections, each with a score and an explanation of what's driving the score:

Soil Nutrition

NPK plus secondary macronutrients, micronutrients, pH, and Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC).

Soil Life

Microbial activity, fungal-bacterial balance, mycorrhizal abundance, soilborne pests and diseases, and the trajectory of your soil's organic matter and carbon storage.

The most important thing the report does is point to the highest-impact things you can act on this year. If your Soil Life score is low and Soil Nutrition is fine, we'll tell you to focus on Soil Life — and what specifically to do. If everything's in good shape, we'll tell you that too.

Questions on results? Email us. We read every reply.

Questions? Email support@livingsoillab.bio. We read every reply.