FALL GARDENS STARTS IN THE KITCHEN

Here’s a fun experiment that will help with the fall garden and teach a bit about pH of the garden soil.

As families prepare to plant for the fall, it’s interesting to note how different plants have their preference regarding the pH of the garden soil. (A pH of 7 is considered neutral, with lower numbers reflecting acidic and higher numbers reflecting alkaline.)

Here’s a simple way to “guess-timate” the pH level using what you already have in your kitchen.

KITCHEN CABINET pH TEST
I am a LONG way from being an expert on this, but I read that strawberry plants, for instance, prefer slightly acidic soil; from 5.5-6.9. One simple way to see if the soil is acidic is to dampen a sample of it and sprinkle baking soda on it. If it bubbles, the soil is acidic. (From high school chemistry, the bubbles mean the base [baking soda] is neutralizing the acid [acid in the soil sample].) Question: would the level of acidity be reflected in the strength of the bubbling?

It’s worth a try, huh?

GOING THE OTHER WAY
The article I read said nothing about a test for alkalinity, but it should work also, right? Instead of putting baking soda on the damp soil sample, keep the sample dry, but put a few drops of vinegar on it. If the soil is alkaline, it should bubble, right? (In this case the acid is neutralizing the base.)

NO BUBBLES AT ALL?
According to this little experiment, if there are no bubbles at all, either with baking soda or vinegar, it should mean that the soil sample is either neutral or too slight of acid or base to cause a reaction.
From what I read, the most common “treatment” for adding acid to a soil is some derivative of sulfur; to boost alkaline, something like limestone (a base) could be added.

Happy Gardening! ###