What lab does your local county ag extension office use? That is usually the best one to go with since they do them for all the local commercial farmers. All you need tested is pH, P and K levels, Mg and Ca, and % of organic matter. There is no need for any fancy expensive testing for unusual things.

Dave

I have A & L Lab and never was very happy with them, never give me how much and what is need.
Never told me if there was anything tied up.if anything was tied up.

What you are telling me is don'y worry?

Why are there Labs out there that well give you more for your money?

Why don't you think that you should know everything about your soil?

What you are telling me is don'y worry?

Not at all. A professional soil test is a great thing to have. But your expectations of what a soil test is and isn't have to be realistic too. A soil test isn't a cure-all in any way. And it isn't a static thing anyway. It changes constantly depending on weather and what you do to it. That is one reason why many labs no longer test for N levels - they change weekly or even daily.

Why don't you think that you should know everything about your soil?

First, because it isn't possible. Like I said soil isn't a static thing. It is alive and it changes. Second, because minute testing for non-relevant things don't exist or are cost-prohibitive. Soil testing is done for the purposes of fertility. So you only need to be concerned with what is relative to plants growing in the soil - the items I listed above - and how those test results relate to the norms. That is what most any soil test will provide.

Sure if someone wanted to fork out several hundred dollars they can have it tested for all sorts of extra things like mercury and other toxic metals, specific types of bacteria, dissolved N vs. free N, the number of specific soil dwellers per sq. foot, and so on and so on unlimited. And yes, there are labs out there that will give you anything you want whether you need it or not as long as you are willing to pay for it.

For example, when you say "Never told me if there was anything tied up.if anything was tied up.". I'm not sure what you mean but no soil test is going to tell you that. You can't test for "bound up nutrients" if that is what you mean. But they will tell you your soil pH and that is what will determine if the nutrients are available tot he plants.

And most reputable labs aren't going to tell you specifically what to add since the choice is yours of the many things available - both organic and synthetic. All they make is general recommendations such as "x amount of nitrogen in some form" and "pH needs to be reduced to optimal levels by the addition of one of the following.

Interpretation of the test results is up to the gardener.

so I know that the soil well give my plants the minerals best and that nothing will be tied up as fare as minerals so the plants well be able use use everything and they well give the best yield.

Please don't fall into the trap of believing that you can somehow create perfect garden soil. You can't. If that were possible then we would all have the perfect gardens. Instead it is always changing, it is always in need of something.

Nor can having what some test tells you is perfect soil today can guarantee the perfect plants with the perfect yield. It just doesn't work that way and never has for any of us. While good soil is important of course, many gardeners are very successful with a WIDE variety of different soils all with a wide variety of different shortcomings. Soil is only one of the many variables of gardening.

I hope this helps clarify things.

Dave