Tool Tip: Soil Auger
by Ecology Action Staff

Our preferred tool for gathering soil samples is the AMS One-Piece Open-Faced Soil Auger (gemplers.com). The one-piece, open-faced auger extracts samples quickly and easily in mud, clay, or hardpan, and features 10-ga. high-carbon steel construction with an aggressive, 2-1/2"-dia. cutting head for better soil penetration. The 16-inch wide cross-handle with comfortable rubber grips and 48-inch length make it comfortable for most to use.

Why have an auger? Our potato, alfalfa, comfrey, and other plants provide higher yields with good, even soil moisture levels at 36-inches deep. It does not take extra water to achieve this, just the regular daily watering (see pp. 92 in How to Grow More Vegetables (2017)) once deep-soil moisture levels has been reached. To determine if we have achieved the deep-soil moisture, we core down in 6-inch increments and place the result on a tarp in sequential order according to depth. It's easy to see how moisture levels change in each sample, and whether you have good moisture at 36 inches.

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