Don't Toss An Old Pickle Jar — Test Your Garden Soil Instead

Many plants have specific requirements and can only thrive under certain conditions. Trying to figure out why your leafy friends don't appreciate the growing substrate you've provided them and what, if anything, you can do to fix it can be a frustrating challenge. Before you start dumping amendments into the garden, there's a simple way to find out what you're actually working with. One unexpected tool that can help you better understand your garden bed's makeup and provide insight into how to amend your garden soil is a pickle jar with a lid. Add some water and a handful of soil, then run a clever test to estimate the proportions of different elements.

Most plants grow best in loam soil — a mix of clay, sand, and silt. Your soil's composition isn't always easy to see at a glance, though, as sand particles are quite large, silt particles are smaller, and clay soil particles are so small they're impossible to see individually. Luckily, you don't have to troubleshoot the texture by just looking at your garden. 

Particles settle at various rates depending on their size, making this a useful instrument for understanding more about your growing medium. The sand will settle first, then the silt, and then finally the clay. The result won't replace a professional nutrient or pH test, but it can give you a useful snapshot of your soil's physical makeup.

To create your texture test, begin by using a trowel to take a scoop of your garden soil. Make sure you're digging down a few inches and not just taking it from the surface. For a more representative sample, avoid areas that have recently been heavily amended or fertilized. Then use a sieve or strainer to remove any large rocks or leaves from the sample and add the sifted result to your pickle jar until it is about ⅓ full. Then fill it most of the way with clean water, and screw the lid on tightly. 

Give your jar a good shake, making sure all the soil is thoroughly suspended, then put it down on a flat surface and wait 60 seconds. The particles that have settled within that time are sand. Use a permanent marker or a piece of tape to mark the sand level, taking care not to jostle or disturb the jar. Then wait 2 hours for the silt to settle, and again mark the level of the sediment. Finally, wait about 48 hours for your clay to settle. 

You should now be able to see the percentages of sand, silt, and clay in the jar. You'll ideally want your soil to be about ⅖ sand, ⅖ silt, and ⅕ clay. Don't panic if it doesn't have an ideal makeup. Regardless of whether your soil is too heavy in one of these elements, it can often be improved by adding compost and other organic materials. Use this test as a starting point: once you know which particles dominate, choose plants suited to those conditions or make targeted improvements rather than guessing.