One of the best ways to understand what is going on in your field, market garden, greenhouse or backyard vegetable patch is to get your soil tested.
We conduct soil tests for:
- Yukon farmers who are selling products to customers or have entered into small scale agricultural activities,
- Yukon gardeners who are looking to fine-tune their backyard and community garden activities.
The standard analysis test includes:
- nitrogen (N),
- phosphorus (P),
- potassium (K),
- sulphur (S)
- pH,
- electro conductivity, and
- organic matter.
For commercial producers, we can conduct a more complete analysis of the soil to understand some of the micronutrient levels and cation exchange capacity.
Get your Yukon farm soil tested
Email agriculture@yukon.ca or phone 867-667-5838 to book your soil test.
We will:
- set up a field visit;
- discuss what is going on in the field, garden or greenhouse;
- do the soil sampling;
- provide an in-depth interpretation of the soil analysis; and
- help develop your farm's nutrient management strategy.
Get your Yukon garden soil tested
Soil testing is limited to 1 test a year for Yukon gardeners.
Take a soil sample
Get your garden trowel and a pail. Randomly stick the trowel into the soil 6 to 8 inches deep. Scoop a trowel of dirt into the pail. Do this 8 to 10 times across the garden bed. Mix the soil in the pail. Take out 500 grams (approximately 2 cups) to use as your sample.
If you have multiple garden or greenhouse beds, it’s usually best to evaluate the one that is not producing well. If you want to take a sample from across all your garden beds, scoop soil from 4 to 6 spots per garden bed and mix in your pail.
Bring or mail the sample to the Agriculture Branch
In person: 320-300 Main Street in Whitehorse. We are open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Mail:
Government of Yukon
Agriculture Branch (K-320A)
Box 2703
Whitehorse, Yukon, Y1A 2C6
Get your results
We ship the soil sample to a laboratory in Edmonton for analysis. Test results usually take about 3 weeks. We email the results to you or you can pick up a hard copy of your report at our office.
How can I improve my soil?
- Email agriculture@yukon.ca or phone 867-667-5838 if you have questions about your soil nutrient needs. Ask to speak to the Agrologist.
- Search the Energy, Mines and Resources Library catalogue. They also have a copy of the Yukon Gardener's Manual.
- Purchase a copy of the Yukon Gardener’s Manual at our office for $20 + GST.