Annual Soil and Water Checklist

Why use a yearly checklist?

Land changes gradually: soil tests drift, gullies lengthen, wells change, culverts clog. A written routine means you look at the same things every year and can compare notes. It also gives you something to hand a technician or a buyer.

Keep the checklist in a notebook or folder with dates, photos and test reports. Short and consistent beats long and abandoned.

A checklist also helps when conditions change. A neighbor's construction, a new ditch upstream or a dry year can alter your drainage, and notes from earlier years make the change obvious.

What should I do in spring?

Walk the property after thaw or the first heavy rains and look for erosion, ponded water, washed-out gates and clogged ditches. Take a soil sample if your last test is a few years old, and send it to a lab recommended by your extension office. Check frost dates before you plan planting.

Inspect culverts, repair damaged cover, reseed bare patches, and look at pasture growth before you turn animals out.

When you take a soil sample, follow the lab's instructions on depth and number of cores, use clean tools and label each bag clearly. Sampling the same areas each time makes results comparable. Ask the lab or your extension office how to read the report and what a recommendation means for your crops. Do not apply lime or fertilizer beyond what the report supports, and always follow label directions.

• Soil sample if due
• Culverts and ditches cleared
• Bare patches reseeded
• Pasture growth checked

What should I do in summer?

Watch moisture and cover. Note where soil crusts, where plants wilt first, and where weeds take over. Check hoses, troughs, pumps and water lines for leaks, and watch your well or other source during dry weeks.

Keep mulch in place, avoid grazing pastures to bare ground, and record rainfall. Look at pond edges, streambanks and fence crossings for animal damage. Test drinking water if you have not done so recently or notice changes, following your health department's guidance.

Note any new wet areas, pond changes, algae, odor or fish or animal die-offs, and report concerns to your local health or environmental office. Early notes can matter later.

What should I do in fall?

Plan for winter cover. Seed cover crops in time to establish according to local frost dates, mulch bare beds, and clear leaves from drains and culverts. Check roofs, gutters and downspouts so runoff goes where you intend.

Winterize lines and troughs, store hoses, and fix fences along water. Review the year's notes, mark what failed, and decide what to fix before the ground freezes.

Fall is also the time to line up supplies for next year: seed for cover crops, mulch material, replacement culvert parts, fencing and a few tools for maintenance, so you are not hunting for them in a storm.

What should I do in winter?

Use the quiet season for records and planning. Read lab results, plan crop rotation and fertility with your extension office, price repairs, and sketch changes to drainage. Watch for ice damage, frozen culverts and areas where meltwater runs.

Avoid driving or grazing on saturated or frozen-then-thawing ground when you can, since it compacts and ruts. Keep heavy equipment on firm surfaces.

Winter is a good time to talk with your conservation district. Ask about technical help, planning and any programs open to small farms, and learn what deadlines they use, since many programs run on fixed schedules.

Which tests are worth doing and how often?

A soil test reports pH and nutrient levels and guides lime and fertilizer decisions, and labs give recommendations for your crop. Test every few years, or sooner when yields or plant health change. Use a lab your extension office recommends and follow its sampling instructions.

For household or livestock water, ask your county health department or extension office which tests apply in your area and how often to run them, particularly after flooding, a nearby spill, or changes in taste, smell or color. Do not guess at treatment; get qualified advice.

Water tests are only a snapshot. Retest after floods, spills, new construction nearby or any change in how the water looks, tastes or smells, and keep every report together in your records folder.

What should I record?

Keep rain totals, test dates and results, photos of problem spots, repairs and costs by category, planting dates and notes on what worked. Add dates of last culvert cleaning and pump service. After a few years you will see patterns and can plan before trouble starts.

Write a short summary each December: what you fixed, what failed, what it cost by category, and what comes first next year. It becomes your plan and your history in one page.

Last reviewed: November 12, 2026. Written by the Homestead & Small Farm Editorial Team. See our editorial policy.