I recommend you call your County Extension Office and ask the cost and how they want the soil collected for testing. The cost can be more or less than a home testing kit. In our state the large farms all pay a small fee that covers the cost of all soil testing in the state. As a Master Gardener one of my duties was to advertise, and encourage everyone interested, to bring a quart size bag of soil in to the Extension office and I would fill in the form and prepare the soil for mailing to the lab for testing. The lab will send your 'soil report' in the mail giving you an in depth look at your soil and recommendations for improvements. I would do this now as the big farms send their soil in for testing in the fall and everyone has to wait longer for their report. It is worth getting the lab to test your soil as it is an accurate report with professional recommendations.
Anyone who has not been to their County Extension Office, and is interested in gardening in any form, should go by just to see the abundance of material on growing any crop, to check out the insects that are harmful/beneficial in your area and current plant diseases and treatments. If you have a garden question they can help find the answer for you. Our state has a website that is extensive and very informative.
