Wow, thanks for the fantastic information everyone. It sounds like my plan of 1 cubic yard of compost + rabbit manure should do the job. I admit I was surprised to have such good results. I will be adding rabbit manure (either directly or through tea) throughout the season, so nitrogen definitely shouldn't be an issue. To be honest, I'm not sure if the area has been limed--this is our first year planting here. The existing bed hasn't been cared much in quite a few years, so if it was limed, it wasn't recently. I was honestly expecting to have to lime myself, since the whole area is bordered on one side by some sizable hemlocks. I'm actually interested to see if any of the seeds I randomly threw down among some bushes in the back will actually grow. Because it's wooded, it's never been mown, so there are lots of decaying leaves and what looks like very rich soil as a result. I figured some shade-tolerant plants (kale, collards, lettuce, spinach, peas) might be happy there. Best case, my bunnies will happily eat whatever is grown. Worst case, I used seeds which I already have too many of anyway. There's also a HUGE compost pile, but I have no idea what to do with it. It's all yard waste and hasn't been tended. Our landlords have just haphazardly thrown everything in there from leaves and grass (good) to gigantic branches (bad). Digging out the good stuff on the bottom might require a backhoe...

You had posted the five home tests awhile back, and I did those. One of those was worms. The news isn't good, although they aren't non existent. Sadly, when I was digging the soil for my testing, I think I came across a total of four worms. I only had to actually pick one out of the buckets of collected soil. I dug several shovel fulls out, then did a slice, per each test. So about 15 or so digs...I think four worms. My compost bin is right next to the veg garden, and in early March, I planted my lettuce/spinach/greens right next to it (because it gives shade). As I worked that little patch of soil with my fork, that soil was LOADED with worms. Either they were enjoying some goodies that were leeching out of the bin, or the bin was full and they were going back and forth. I remember posting about another one of the home tests, and that was smell...my soil had NO smell, good or bad. The other tests were okay, the tilth and the drainage.

Hmmmm...horse manure is horse manure :-) Even when properly composted itself, it is not exactly a balanced product but can be used as an ingredient in a composting operation that includes other ingredients. And it is not a good idea to use the uncomposted manure of virtually any ruminant on a garden that will be used to grow edible crops. Horses have rather incomplete digestive systems. They are essentially a feeding tube and what goes in comes out relatively undisturbed :-) Weed or grain seeds pass through undigested. They also do not metabolize all the nutrients well and repeated use of even composted horse manures can result in a build up of certain minerals (magnesium is the biggie) to toxic concentrations over time. They are often treated with dewormers and these too get passed through without full digestion. And since worms are good for the garden, adding worm killers in any form is a bit counterproductive. If you use horse manure, or any other ruminant manure for that matter, make sure it is hot composted before use (or at the very least, very well aged) to eliminate any pathogens and to reduce the likelihood of weeds being generated. And if given the choice, opt for cow manure first -- their more efficient digestive system will result in a better composting product.

Surprisingly, they were close on the pH, but that was luck more than anything else--drinking water happens to have a pH close to your soil pH, that's all. They were miles off on phosphorus and potassium and they missed a few things that are kind of important. If you read other tests, I go step by step and explain why something is important and the source I recommend. Recommendations are at the bottom. EC 23.3: Quite high. Normally, I'd go looking for excess calcium, but in this case that's not the cause. You simply have a heavy, highly organic soil that may or may not have considerable clay in it (but it sure has a lot of silt). This soil won't change quickly and requires massive amounts of material to force a change, but also doesn't drift quickly. Once corrected, testing every other year is more than sufficient. pH 7.4: A symptom, not the disease, and not a barrier to a perfectly gorgeous lawn. While there's no easy way to change this, some of the recommendations below may nudge it down a bit. OM 10.4%: Fantastic! This heads right into the "Extraordinarily Good" range. Certainly mulch mow, mow in your fall leaves, and consider feeding organically if you wish, but there's no need to work on this. Sulfur 15: Exactly normal, with plenty of room to play. We don't need that much room. Phosphorus 126: Low for your pH, but not deficient. Still, this is impacting your grass (and flowers, if you have any) quality. Target here will be about 220-240. I recommend the cheapest starter fertilizer you can get your hands on, with application rates below. I'd like to fold in a fourth app before your next test, but the climate in Green Bay simply doesn't allow it. Calcium 72.6%: A hair high, but certainly not a problem. No calcium is required. Magnesium 19.8%: Very high, although entirely workable. This might give you a tight, impenetrable soil at levels this high as your Ca:Mg ratio is only 6.1. It's not awful, but it's a little low--and there's nothing we can do about it here (actually, there is, but it's not worth bothering when the situation is this marginal). Avoid magnesium sources including Epsom salt and dolomitic limestone. Both would be a severe mistake. Potassium 3.2%: It's OK, but should be enhanced to remove the soil deficit showing above of 144 #/A. We use potassium sulfate (sulfate of potash) to do this, which you can often buy at local garden stores (or they'll order it for you) or landscaping shops. You can get it online, but the prices tend to be poor. Recommendations below. Minor elements: Most are fine, except Boron (mentioned below). I talk about copper (high) and iron (meh) below as well. Iron 99: Not deficient, but at your pH definitely not going to produce great color in the lawn. Whenever you like, apply Milorganite at bag rate to slowly lift this (and very gently feed the lawn). Copper 20.1: Very high. Definitely avoid significant copper sources (not that there are many, although some moss killers use copper sulfate). Excess copper kills roots and some plants are sensitive to even mildly high levels (grass is not). Boron: We use Milorganite as a carrier and 20 Mule Team Borax as the boron source. In a wheelbarrow or the like, dump the Milo. Spraying very, very lightly with water (I use a spray bottle like the kind people use to damp their clothes when they iron) will help the boron stick. Add the recommended amount of 20 Mule Team Borax and stir, spraying occasionally to get the stuff to stick to the Milo. Then apply over the recommended area. So if going for bag rate Milorganite (1 bag per 2,500 square feet), you'd add 10 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax. Recommendations: August 15: Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet potassium sulfate. Apply 20 Mule Team Borax at 4 tablespoons (not a misprint) per thousand square feet. September 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. September 15: Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet potassium sulfate. October 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. May 1, 2016: Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet potassium sulfate. Labor Day, 2016: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate.