A scaredy-cat gardener does a soil test

So today I realized I should have called this blog -- the Scaredy-Cat Gardner because I swear I am gardening through fear.  I face each task with a bit of dread mixed with anticipation.  Today I decided to tackle the soil test.  I have been putting this off for a while -- mostly thinking that the soil was too wet to test.  True, the directions from UMass Soil Testing specifically mention to avoid sampling 'very wet soils' -- but I also hear that I am supposed to sample before I plant and in the Northwest it rains.  Today is our third dry day in a row so my regular excuse gave me no defense.

My other fear about soil testing was it would be difficult.  Ha.  Again, only in the mental preparation.  I picked three sites to sample and found that my cultivator easily went into the soil (it has been above freezing overnight for weeks.)  A few twists and I loosened enough to put in my Tupperware. 

In the end, I only need a cup of soil for my sample.  UMass recommended at least 12 scattered subsamples -- I collected over a cup easily.  I continued following directions and laid out my samples on cookie sheets covered in clean paper and set them on the kitchen table under the ceiling fan to dry.  What UMass didn't tell me was to look for wiggling things.  Trust me, if you are as worried as I am about creepy crawlies -- the big stuff is already gone by time you get inside -- but it turns out there are a bunch of mini-worms that look like root hairs that start moving around once the soil is spread out. 

I starting to worry about how I am going to overcome my discomfort with bugs.  After my soil test I wandered around my yard and saw that the tyfon I planted as a cover crop over a bed I want to fill with wildflowers in the spring is getting big.  The package said it could be used as a turnip when mature.  So I pulled one to take a peek.  It looked mature (though I don't cook with turnips so I don't know what to do with it now) -- but it also looked like someone else already had the first nibbles.

And memories flooded back to me of earlier garden tries -- including a Mexican bean beetle infestation and worms in my brocoli. ... Deep breath ... I am doing this for my kids.  And I will fake whatever confidance I need to for them -- but really, is it okay to share food with the rest of the natural world?  I rarely share food with other people. 

So I am not changing the title of the blog.  I plan to push past my fears, to gain some knowlege and some experience.  I expect to transform from a scaredy-cat to a (sub)urban farmer.  This is just step one.  And to help myself out, I looked for good signs in the garden and found these buds starting on the blueberry bush that did well last year.