Timeline for Soil Testing and Planting - Ask Extension
Good afternoon,
My wife and I are fairly new to gardening. We moved to a new house in Eagle River this fall and are planning to build raised beds ...
Knowledgebase
Timeline for Soil Testing and Planting #925124
Asked February 26, 2026, 8:32 PM EST
Good afternoon,
My wife and I are fairly new to gardening. We moved to a new house in Eagle River this fall and are planning to build raised beds for gardening once things thaw. I have been reading through a bunch of the CES publications and keep coming across the benefits of having soil tested before planting.
My question is, with the short time between when the ground thaws, when we can bring in soil for the raised beds, and when plants need to be in the ground is there enough time to get a proper soil test done? Or, should we wing it this year, adding a bit of lime and general fertilizer, and then working with what we have?
Thank you,
Brandon
Anchorage County Alaska
Expert Response
Congratulations on your new place to garden Brandon!
I am glad to hear that you are aware of the importance to start with good soil in order to have a good garden. You are in a great position to start looking for reputable soil sources. I am not in your area so don't have specific recommendations, but I would recommend inquiring with various folks such as a local garden club, the Mat Su Master Gardener Association, or a local FB gardening group to get some recommendations of who to call and who maybe not to call to get a reliable, (hopefully) affordable, high quality product. Just note that from my experience, contractors who supply construction grade materials (or some guy with a truck and a flier) will especially need to be pre-qualified to make sure you are getting something that will grow a good garden (not full of weeds and/or stones), hopefully in the first year. The "texture" of the material is very important too because if it is too high in clay or silt, your drainage will suffer.
Find a reputable source and place your spring delivery order as soon as possible so you don't get late in line.
So, to answer your stated question of if you should test or just wing it, you should definitely test the soil. The results usually come in within a week and I/we can get you recommendations that you are ready to act upon by the time you are done leveling the yard and building the boxes. If you haven't already, see our page at https://www.uaf.edu/ces/agriculture/soil/ where you will find proper methods for preparing a sample and choices of labs to send the sample to. If you use a lab such as Brookside, you can include my email along with yours for them to send the results. When we receive them, I will follow up with you to provide recommendations on how to amend the soil. Please let me know if you have further questions.
I am glad to hear that you are aware of the importance to start with good soil in order to have a good garden. You are in a great position to start looking for reputable soil sources. I am not in your area so don't have specific recommendations, but I would recommend inquiring with various folks such as a local garden club, the Mat Su Master Gardener Association, or a local FB gardening group to get some recommendations of who to call and who maybe not to call to get a reliable, (hopefully) affordable, high quality product. Just note that from my experience, contractors who supply construction grade materials (or some guy with a truck and a flier) will especially need to be pre-qualified to make sure you are getting something that will grow a good garden (not full of weeds and/or stones), hopefully in the first year. The "texture" of the material is very important too because if it is too high in clay or silt, your drainage will suffer.
Find a reputable source and place your spring delivery order as soon as possible so you don't get late in line.
So, to answer your stated question of if you should test or just wing it, you should definitely test the soil. The results usually come in within a week and I/we can get you recommendations that you are ready to act upon by the time you are done leveling the yard and building the boxes. If you haven't already, see our page at https://www.uaf.edu/ces/agriculture/soil/ where you will find proper methods for preparing a sample and choices of labs to send the sample to. If you use a lab such as Brookside, you can include my email along with yours for them to send the results. When we receive them, I will follow up with you to provide recommendations on how to amend the soil. Please let me know if you have further questions.
