SOIL SAMPLING

Look around your garden.  I bet you see tons of dirt! See it?  That’s perfect because that’s what you need for today’s idea. We’re going to do a little science experiment and study the dirt in our garden.
What’s Needed:

• Plastic baggies
• Marker
• Shovel
• Magnifying glass (optional)

​Dirt or soil differs from place to place.  Sometimes it’s hard. Sometimes it’s soft. Today, we’re going to see how it differs depending on if it’s in a sunny spot, a shady spot, or comes from a bag.  First thing you need to do is grab your plastic baggies and write “sunny,” “shady,” and “bagged” on each of them.

Now, find an area in your garden where the dirt or soil is in a sunny spot most of the day. Fill up the baggie that you wrote “sunny” on with dirt from that area.
 
Now, find a shady spot and do the same, but this time fill up the baggie with “shady” written on. 
 
The third bag should be filled up with potting soil that came from a bag you buy at the nursery or garden center.
 
Now, compare the three bags. Really look at each one and try to see where they are the same and how they are different.  Why do you think that is?
 
Here are some questions to think about while you’re looking at your soil samples:

• What do you see in the sunny soil that’s not in the shady soil? What about the bagged soil?
• What do you think you’ll find in each sample?
• Which one do you think will absorb water better?
• Which dirt is softest? Hardest?

 
Can you find other areas in your garden that have different dirt textures than the three we found above? Let me know what you find by posting it below.

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