How to check your soil for acidity or alkalinity

Sometimes you need to know how acidic or alkalinity your soil is before you plant certain types of plants or seeds, since some will flourish in one type of soil but whither in the other. But having a full soil analysis can be expensive for many gardeners. Here is how to check at home.

In a clean container place 1/2 cup of soil you want to test. Then add 1/2 cup white vinegar. Watch how the soil reacts… fi it fizzes or you see bubbles it is alkaline.

In another clean container place 1/2 cup soil. Then add a mixture of 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup baking soda. If this mixture causes the soil to bubble, then it is acidic.

Do note that while this tells you if your soil is acidic or alkaline, it will not tell you exactly what pH level it is, so it could run from being slightly acidic to extremely acidic.