What's in my soil?

Yesterday, I was trying to figure out a question for my Master Gardener class. I must say I got a bit frustrated! Then, I figured it out and it was SO cool. The problem's solution included going to the Natural Resourses Conservation Service site and completing a Web Soil Survey. (http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/HomePage.htm)

As it turns out, after I got a good night's sleep, it's pretty easy to use and has all types of interesting facts about your property if it has been surveyed. All you have to do is press the big green button that says "Start WSS". I suggest you read the directions first though.

What type of information can be found there? With very little knowledge, I was able to discover a lot about our property. For example, our land is divided into two types of soil. The front third is made up of soil type 101 - Bohica Silt Loam. Bohica Silt Loam is classified as a Local Farm Land. It has a PH 6.5. That is slightly acidic but 7 is nuetral. Many garden plants like a PH of 5.5 to 7. The frost threat, which in Alaska is always a factor, is only moderate. On top of all these positives, as the name suggests, the soil is a silt loam. A loam is where all three components, sand, silt and clay are present in fairly equal amounts. A silt loam has more silt, but the other two are still present in good quantity. The sand promotes good drainage. The silt and clay provide water storage for the plants' use. A good balance.

By trail and error, this is where my garden is located. If I had this information when I first started gardening, I would have know this would have been the better choice of location.

The back two-thirds of our property is soil type 115 - Goldstream Peat. It's soil is more acidic at 4.9 and is NOT classified for Farmland use. The Frost factor is high, which explains why I lost the potatoes I planted back there to frost in August a few years ago. As I discovered the hard way, this area is not as suitable for gardening. I do, however, have wild blueberries and raspberries that thrive there.

The information at this site could be very useful, especially when developing a new garden or farming area. It has access to Soil Surveys from all over the United States.