Hopefully by now you are following the pages in order and have identified your soil structure and pH. As mentioned in "Getting Started" you will also want to find out the nutrient levels in your soil.
You may have an idea of what your soil is lacking (or has too much of) by looking at your plants. You can find a comprehensive list of Nutrient Deficiency Symptoms (Macronutrients) (Micronutrients) online from the San Diego County Master Gardener's Association.
Yes, the list is long. You may want to skip the guessing game and have your soil tested. As with pH testing you can purchase an at home test from garden stores, or send a sample of your soil to a laboratory or commercial garden center.
From my search online, I found Luster Leaf 1601 Rapitest Soil Kit to have the best reviews. You can pick up this product at Ace Hardware or Amazon for around $15. The at home test will identify pH, Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium. If you would like to test for micro-nutrients, as well as receive a full report on your soil, you'll want to pay a little more for a laboratory test. Here in San Diego you can bring a quart size bag of your soil to Walter Andersen Nursery and they will send your soil to be tested for $50. Hydro-scape will also send samples away for you for $75. After calling around I did find a lab that will take samples directly, but there did not seem to be a break on price Wallace Laboratories for $75.Note on gathering soil samples: To collect soil for testing, dig a small hole 6-8 inches deep with a trough and collect a thin slice of soil from one side of the hole. Put the soil in a bucket and collect more samples from several locations in the garden. Mix the samples together to produce a representative sample from your garden.
