MITCHELL COUNTY OFFICE

Mitchell County E News

April 2023

Soil Tests Help Gardens Grow

The free season for soil testing begins April 1 – no fooling!     

Collecting soil samples is easy and  so helpful to your garden.  Why bother with testing soil? It is the best way to set your garden up for success. The test results will tell you exactly what nutrients need to be added to the soil to grow what it is you desire in that spot.

Who tests the soil? The folks who analyze soil samples work for the N.C. Department of
Agriculture & Consumer Services (NCDACS) in Raleigh. They are agronomists – soil scientists and can also help you understand your soil sample report; Do not hesitate to call the telephone number on the report.

What will you need for this task and where can you get it? In addition to basic gardening
equipment, you will need:  Soil sample box(es)
One soil sample box for each area of your yard that you wish to test. Do not assume that
all the soil in your yard is the same. And, it is perfectly acceptable to sample the soil in a
raised bed.  A Soil Sample Information Form. One form has room for up to six areas.
So, that’s one form and multiple boxes. Soil boxes and forms can be picked up at the Mitchell
Extension Office, 10 S. Mitchell Avenue in Bakersville. The boxes and forms are free!

How to obtain a good soil sample? Follow these five steps:

     1. Choose a day when the soil is relatively dry. Digging in wet soil is rarely a good idea.
      2. Prepare by cleaning and clearing; you want to begin with a clean stainless-steel shovel
         and a clean plastic bucket. Then clear away grass, twigs and leaves from the soil’s
         surface.
     3. Dig a V-shaped hole (strive for eight inches deep for a garden, four inches deep for a
          lawn).  Take a one-inch slice from one side of the hole and place it in the bucket. Do this
         at least six to eight times. To obtain one sample, you must dig several (or more)
         shovelfuls of soil from different spots within each area being sampled. This will ensure
         accurate results.
     4. Using a clean tool, mix the soil. Remove rocks and other large pieces of organic material.
         From this mixture, fill the soil sample box to the red line. Close the box. (If you have
         difficulty closing the box, don’t despair, try again. It will close eventually. Please do not
          tape the box.)
     5. Complete the Soil Sample Form. Two important points here: First, for each sample, you
         must choose a 5-character ID and place it on the sample box and on the sample form.
         That’s how you will know which results belong to what samples. I generally choose
         geographic descriptions like “fence,” “front,” or “woods” to distinguish the location from
         which I took the sample. But use whatever is meaningful to you. And it never hurts to
         write it down in your garden journal for future reference. Secondly, choose a “planting
         code” for each sample. This is a multiple choice question; choices are listed on the back
         of the form. One of these “planting codes” must accompany every soil sample.

Mail the sample(s) to NCDA&C Agronomic Division, 1040 Mail Service Center, Raleigh NC
27699-1040.

The Dinah Gore 4-H Healthy Food ChallengeThe Dinah Gore 4-H Healthy Food Challenge is a contest that challenges a team of three to four 4-H members to create a dish that will serve three people using a predetermined ingredient, food category (Protein, Grains, Fruit & Vegetable, and Dairy) and items from the pantry. Once the ingredient is revealed, the team will have 40 minutes to prepare the dish, clean up and prepare their presentation for the judges. The team will make a presentation to the judges after the dish is ready. The presentation, about their dish, should include its health benefits and the nutrients that the dish provides to the body. The presentations is no more than 10 minutes long.

Does your child enjoy working with animals?

If so, the Tri-County Chick to Chicken Program is an excellent opportunity for youth to learn more about raising and showing chickens through hands-on experience! In this six month program, youth receive chicks and raise them until the final events of showing them in the Avery County Fair and WNC Mountain State Fair. During the program, youth will attend one workshop per month where they will bring their chickens and work with them, learning how to care for and show them.
The workshops take place at 5:30 p.m. on the following dates:
* April 4th         * April 18th        * May 2nd     * June 6th     * August 1st.

There will be a mock show on August 29th at 6:00 p.m. at the Avery County Fair Grounds (Heritage Park: 661 Vale Rd, Newland, NC 28657).
The required show will take place at the Avery County Fair- September 6th at 6:00 p.m.
A final program celebration will take place on September 12th. At the conclusion of the program, participants can either auction off their chickens, or keep them. Youth will be placed into age categories where they will be showing/competing against each other in their same age category. Youth ages 5-7 will show their chickens and be asked questions, but will not be judged. The age categories are as follows: Ages 5-7, Ages 8-12, Ages 13-15, and Ages 14-18.

The cost of participating in the program is $50, due at the mandatory April 4th meeting. There will be an interest meeting on March 7th at 5:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church in Spruce Pine (15 Hemlock Ave, Spruce Pine, NC 28777).
Chicks will be given to participants at the mandatory chick adoption workshop on April 18th @ 5:30 p.m. All workshops will take place at Riverside Park in Spruce Pine (305 Tappan Street, Spruce Pine, NC 28777).

For more information, please contact Michelle South at (828) 387-5748 or mcsouth@ncsu.edu

Read more North Carolina Cooperative Extension News >>

NC State University and N.C. A&T State University work in tandem, along with federal, state and local governments, to form a strategic partnership called N.C. Cooperative Extension.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

N.C. Cooperative Extension - Mitchell County Center, 10 S Mitchell Ave, Bakersville, NC 28705, United States
Click here to unsubscribe