Dear Peter,

You are on the right path by doing a soil test. The Stark County OSU Extension office in Massillon (RG Drage Campus 2800 Richville Drive, SE Suite 100, Massillon, OH 44646) has soil tests available for purchase. https://stark.osu.edu/program-areas/master-gardener-volunteers/public-services They are $15.00 a piece (you should only need one). On the website I listed you can see that they only take cash or check. The soil tests are sent to a lab at Penn State. If you prefer to have the soil test mailed to you, I suggest you order it from the the Franklin County extension office. https://franklin.osu.edu/program-areas/agriculture-and-natural-resources/soil-testing

Here is information on how to do a soil test correctly. There are multiple labs listed in this fact sheet but we generally send soil tests to Penn State. Should you have any questions regarding the results of the test, your local extension office can help with the interpretation.  https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-1132

Happy gardening,

Sabine