county extension service. Don't know what the charge is in your area, but in most areas it's less than $20 per test and sometimes much less than that.

I don't think you could purchase home test kits that would tell you as much for a lower price.

Now, if you want to be really frugal you can make general determinations regarding whether your soil is nearly neutral, alkaline or acidic by tasting it, but this isn't going to reveal much to you unless you already know what various soils taste like. Sweet=alkaline (above 7.0) and sour = acidic (below 7.0)

You can also determine what your soil is comprised of (sand/clay/loam/organic matter by digging up a thin column of soil 6" deep and dissolving it in a clear container filled with water. Leave the container in place for 24 hours and allow everything to settle. You will see the layers seperate with the larger/heavier particles like sand settling out first and comprising the bottom layer. Next will be loamy stuff, then clay on top. Organic matter is often found floating on top of the water or on top of the clay. Loam is a mix of sand/clay particles so it may or may not seperate and form a distinct layer.

Nutrient levels are difficult to determine without a proper soil test, but there are plants known as indicator plants. An indicator plant is simply a plant known to do something distinct when a particular condition is met. There are all sorts of plants to indicate all sorts of things, but some can be used to determine levels of particular nutrients. As an example nasturtiums are flowering plants that indicate nitrogen levels. To do thier best they prefer light levels of nitrogen. If the soil is almost devoid of N the leaves will be tiny. Ample amounts for the nasturtium, but perhaps not enough for other plants with higher N requirements will have larger leaves, about 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 inches and excessive levels (but suitable for lawn grasses) will result in decreased flower production and huge leaves several inches across. You could do a google search for indicator plants and see what you find for the other nutrients.