A soil moisture sensor with low-cost, reliability and sufficient accuracy has been desired for many years. This paper presented an improved sensor for determining soil water content. Unlike other measurement principles, an index, which is independent of the output impedance and the amplitude of the oscillator but relies on the impedance of the multi-pin probe, was proposed. Moreover, a model for treating the impedance of the multi-pin probe was also discussed and the necessary experiment was conducted. Finally, the relationship between the proposed index and soil volumetric water content was linearly corrected.