Have a soil test to find out if you need any and if so, how much to use.

Are plants showing signs of pH problems?

First, pine trees or other conifers do not make the soil acidic. That is a very persistent garden myth :-)) A soil's acidity or pH is determined primarily by the underlying mineral content (acidic versus non-acidic rocks) and to a lesser extent by the amount of rainfall, not by what plant debris may have accumulated.

What is the current pH of your soil and what do you want it to be? Just an FYI but most plants - in fact, the vast majority - prefer a slightly acidic soil. Somewhere in the 5.5 to 6.5 range. You may not need to add any lime at all :-) But a soil test will tell you what you want to know.

And what are you hoping to do with the property? Maintain existing plants (what are they?), perennial plantings (what will they be?), veggie garden, forest. etc... and as was said... before you do anything, you need to know your current pH levels (get a professional lab test - not just a home test, or even a nursery test as these are both known to be wildly inaccurate.)

In any case, don't listen to anyone who tells you to add that much lime to an area... especially without knowing the current pH, and the target pH.

Some plants like a more acidic soil than others, but since I want to rotate crops throughout the garden, I just like a soil about 6.3 - 6.8.

It is helpful for posters to not be fearful, but to post their approximent location. Generally western soils which receive little rainfall tend to be alkaline and often soidic....alkaline...high ph. Eastern soils with heavier rainfall tend to be acidic...water has leached calcium down deeper. Many areas have a higher ratio of magnesium to calcium than likely desirable. In these cases it is better to add only calcium if adding is necessary.

Beware of broad generalizations :-) Soil pH can vary widely within a given area.......even within the same garden!! And remember it is the underlying mineral content that primarily determines pH....rainfall is really quite secondary.

What do you plan to grow in that soil? Most plants prefer a soil pH in the 6.0 to 7.0 range, slightly acidic and the range where soil nutrients are most readily available while a few (Rhododendrons, Blueberries, Heaths and Heathers, etc.) prefer a more acidic soil (4.5 to 5.5)

A soil test is your best means of determining how much, as well as which, lime to apply if any. Dolomite lime may be needed if soil reserves of Magnesium are also low while Calcitic lime would be used if Mg levels are not too low. A good soil test will give recommendations of type and amounts needed, however, keep in mind that it can take 6 months, or more, for the lime to make the necessary changes to the soil. Also applying the proper amount of lime means you will not need to spread more next year since the lime will (in proper amounts) have long lasting benefits.

Contact the local office of your state universities Cooperative Extension Service to find out if they do soil testing (some do not) or can recommend a soil testing lab to do that.

I'll need to order a ph tester. To start I'm planting berseem clover for fertilizer and I'm planning on making a vegable garden. Corn, lettuces, spinach, pumpkin, tomato, potato, green beans, peppers, ect. It seems like I'll be sending off a soil test cause I'd really like to know what to do to my soil to make it perfect for whatever I'm growing.

Evaluation of the pH will be part of the professional soil test :-) pH meters are notoriously inaccurate and while the pH test kits available at nurseries and the box stores can be very accurate (if using distilled water), it will part of your soil test anyway so why bother to duplicate?

A "perfect" soil is probably a pipe dream :-) But it is not impossible to develop a good, fertile, loose and well draining soil that will accommodate the vast majority of plants. But the professional soil test is your first step.......otherwise you are just guessing at everything.

What is the level of organic matter in the soil?

40 some years ago a soil test here showed this soils pH at 5.7 with the Calcium levels low and Magnesium very low with very low levels of Phosphorus and Potash and a non existent of organic matter. After working in a lot of organic material and raising the level of soil organic matter the soils pH changed to 7.2 with optimum levels of Calcium and Magnesium and high optimum levels of Phosphorus and Potash with no lime added. While that did take 5 years cost was minimal.

You don't need "perfection" .. just plant stuff and see what happens.

Here's the trick: domesticated plants are domesticated and varieties become popular because they aren't as fussy as others about pH. I was growing tomatoes, chiles and okra in desert dirt with a pH of over 8. They did fine.

When you get that soil test, be sure to follow directions (i.e. take it from several spots, and not just the top inch but a core from 0-6" or so is usually recommended, and mix the samples, then take a representative sample from that).

Get major nutrients (P, K - you can skip N, it usually costs extra and is so mobile it doesn't tell you much and this analysis is mostly used by farmers to calculate optimum fertilizer); micro nutrients Fe, Ca, Mg etc.; organic matter and pH. At least. They may have a package deal. Check if your state has an Ag Extension service with a lab. Usually the cheapest.

And, ask the lab for recommendations on what to amend with to grow a garden. The can usually do that based on vegetables, perennials, lawn, pasture etc.

Report back on your results and we'll try to help with any questions.

And don't put down that lime until you know what you need.

So I just called someone near me and they said it would cost $73, a bit more
than I can afford. I called the cooperative extension and they gave me a
list of labs, hopefully I could find one not to expensive.

I live in Magalia, CA and my zone is 9a. Not sure how much organic matter is in my soil, I'd say not very much as it's mostly dirt. Hardly anyone has a lawn out here.

Your University of California does not do soil testing and th private labs they recommend can be quite expensive. However the University of Connecticut will test soils from out of state at reasonable cost.

http://www.soiltest.uconn.edu/sampling.php

Looking at where you are ... look at what's growing well around you. Look up the soil maps for Butte County and see what the prevailing soil types and analysis is.

But except for adding composted organic material, you probably don't need to add anything to the soil. Plants aren't nearly as fussy as you might think.

With all the ag in CA I'm always puzzled that the extension service doesn't do soil testing. Here in MO, land of super low taxes and very little govt services, I can drop off a sample at my local County Extension (or, in my case, the central lab where they're analyzed at the University), and it's like $25.

And all the ag activity is why the extension service no long offers testing services. They just can't keep up with the requests and the budgetary concerns with that many requests are enormous on what is essentially a government agency.

None of the west coast extension services offer them. And all are heavy ag states as well as having extensive ornamental plant growing operations.