Soil pH Explained
Soil pH measures how acidic or alkaline the soil is, on a scale where 7 is neutral. Most vegetables prefer a slightly acidic range of about 6.0 to 7.0, where the widest range of nutrients stays available to roots. Outside that band, nutrients can be present but locked up. A cheap test kit or meter tells you where you stand. Garden lime raises pH over months; elemental sulphur or peat lowers it. Change it gradually and re-test rather than trying to correct it all at once.