For a Wildlife-Friendly Garden, Test Soil First

A simple soil test will tell you what lies underground and what types of plants will grow best in your garden

By Doreen Cubie
Habitat Gardening
Mar 26, 2026

WHAT ARE THE KEY COMPONENTS of a healthy home garden that nurtures wildlife? If you answered avoiding pesticides, minimizing commercial fertilizers and cultivating native plants with nectar-rich flowers, you’d be right. But there is another critical, often overlooked secret to creating a robust wildlife habitat at home: finding out what’s in your soil while your garden is still in its early planning stages.

“A lot of people skip soil testing, but it often means the difference between healthy plants and plants with problems,” says Amy Shober, a professor and extension specialist in nutrient management at the University of Delaware.

Keith Piotrowski, research manager for the University of Minnesota Soil Testing Lab, agrees. “Soil tests give you a snapshot of your soil’s makeup,” he says. Besides ensuring that your garden is fertile, such tests can tell you whether your soil is lacking the nutrients needed for optimal plant growth. They also will reveal your soil’s pH level, which can guide you on selecting appropriate plants for your yard. And whether or not you plan to include food plants in your garden, it’s also important to test the soil for toxins, such as lead, arsenic or other heavy metals harmful to people and wildlife.

The timing of soil testing is critical. “The more data you have before you invest money in buying plants, the better off you will be,” says John Hart Asher, senior environmental designer at Blackland Collaborative, an Austin, Texas, consulting group that specializes in ecological restoration.

A good place to obtain a soil test is your local county’s Cooperative Extension Office. Located throughout the country, these agencies (easily found with an Internet search) connect the public with land grant universities and agricultural colleges. There is usually a small fee to conduct an analysis, but it’s one of the most cost-effective ways to determine your soil’s makeup. The University of Delaware, for example, charges $22.50 for a comprehensive test. And when you get a test through an extension office, its staff will be available to answer questions about the results.

Another option is an independent commercial lab. If you decide to go that route, Shober recommends using a local or regional facility (as opposed to one on the other side of the country) for the most accurate results. Big-box stores and nurseries also sell do-it-yourself soil testing kits—where customers conduct their own analyses—but “we don’t recommend them,” Shober says, because results are difficult to interpret without specialized lab equipment.

Once you choose a testing facility, you’ll need to purchase its standard soil test, which usually consists of a submission form, detailed instructions on how to take a soil sample, a sample bag and a return envelope for mailing the soil sample back to the lab. Then you collect the soil yourself.

You can collect soil anytime the ground is not frozen. “October and November are good times,” Piotrowski says, because this gives gardeners plenty of time to improve their soils, if needed, before the planting season begins. Your soil test should measure for the following elements.

• Soil pH. Your soil’s pH level reveals how acidic or alkaline it is. It’s calculated on a scale of 1 to 14, with 7 considered neutral. Above 7 is alkaline, and below 7 is acidic. Because different plants require different pH levels, the test’s results can help you decide what to grow, matching plant species to your soil’s pH. Alternatively, you can change the soil by adding lime or other amendments, following specific recommendations in your test results. The majority of plants grow well in the neutral or near-neutral range, but if your soils are acidic some good choices include native little bluestem, coneflowers or woodland phlox. With alkaline soils, good options include native whorled milkweed, jewelweed and tall larkspur.

• Nutrient levels. There are two categories of soil nutrients: macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients include nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium, all of which are vital to plant health. Phosphorus, for example, is essential for root development and flowering. If your soil is deficient in one or more macronutrients, the lab report will guide you on how to correct the problem, often by adding organic fertilizer or amendments such as compost to the soil. Most native plants will not need commercial fertilizers.

The second category, micronutrients, includes iron, manganese, zinc and copper. These also are required by plants in small but vital amounts. If your soil lacks any essential micronutrient, the test results will provide specific amendment recommendations.

• Heavy metals. Not all soil tests measure for lead or other heavy metals such as arsenic, but it’s a good idea to do so if you live in an urban area, especially if you plan to grow fruits or vegetables. Most soil labs will test for heavy metals for an extra fee. If they are found, avoid that section of your property for gardening or seek expert advice on a number of effective physical, chemical and biological methods of soil remediation that are available.

Except in rare cases—if soils are badly contaminated or extremely acidic or alkaline, for example—you “usually don’t need to completely rework your soil” based on a soil test result, says Asher. Most of the time, the soil will be in pretty good shape for the plants you want to grow. Some people think clay soils are bad, for example. Yet “many species of natives evolved with clay and will do well,” Asher says. These include wildlife-nurturing plants such as common milkweed, purple coneflower and bee balm.

While your initial, preplanting soil test may be the most critical, that doesn’t mean you’re done with testing forever. If problems with plants occur, Shober recommends sending in a new sample for evaluation. And even without any problems, “it’s a good idea to repeat a soil test at a minimum of three years,” she says.

Doreen Cubie is a science writer and wildlife gardener based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.