I've just done a soil test on a bit of my garden I have dug up to make a vegetable plot which is heavy clay and it looks like it a Ph of between 7.0 and 7.5
An RHS book states that "garden soils normally fall between 4.5 and 7.5 but the ideal for vegetables is 6.5." It also states that it is possible to increase Ph but difficult to decrease it.
A very old Readers Digest book states is much more ambiguous.
Any comments would be welcomed.
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rainbowgardener
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Here' a couple recent threads addressing that question (the Search the Forum feature is your friend! 
)
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=115712&highlight=acid+soil#115712
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=113460&highlight=acidifying+soil#113460
along with those suggestions, adding peat moss tends to acidify, and there are fertilizers (look for ones meant for Azaleas & Rhododendrons) that acidify and fertilize.
But 7.0 is neutral so that's not bad. A lot of things might thrive a little more in a slightly acid soil (like 6.5), but your soil as is isn't going to kill anything. Work on making it really fertile so that there's plenty of nutrients and the plants will take what they need.
)https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=115712&highlight=acid+soil#115712
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=113460&highlight=acidifying+soil#113460
along with those suggestions, adding peat moss tends to acidify, and there are fertilizers (look for ones meant for Azaleas & Rhododendrons) that acidify and fertilize.
But 7.0 is neutral so that's not bad. A lot of things might thrive a little more in a slightly acid soil (like 6.5), but your soil as is isn't going to kill anything.
Work on making it really fertile so that there's plenty of nutrients and the plants will take what they need.Work on amending your garden with compost, mulching, and maybe cover crops for good measure. The whole point here is to add organic matter to the soil. By doing this, you will be adding countless microbes which will gather around your plant's roots (thanks to special compounds the roots exude) and will make the soil just the way the plants like it.
Now, there are other ways to lower your ph, but what I just described goes way beyond fixing ph, it is a method of gardening that has benefits that encompass way more than just fixing the ph. Oh, and like RG said, your ph is really not that bad.
Happy gardening.
Now, there are other ways to lower your ph, but what I just described goes way beyond fixing ph, it is a method of gardening that has benefits that encompass way more than just fixing the ph. Oh, and like RG said, your ph is really not that bad
.Happy gardening.
I've gardened for a lot of years and I've never checked the ph of my soil. I know you are supposed to, but I have always simply reacted to the health of my plants. If they seem anemic, I simply add minerals or whatever I think they need until they seem healthy or strong. I know that is not the method most gardeners recommend but it has worked for me in the past.
This year, I changed my beds around and really amended the soil with compost and new soil. I became curious about the ph because I will be planting a lot of different heirloom tomatoes and don't want them to fail due to my hard headed attitude. I noticed at Home Depot a little ph meter sold by Burpee which has three metal probes on the bottom with a scale on top which indicates the ph and the fertility of the soil. I think it cost $14.00. I took it home and stuck it in the soil in different places in my garden and it indicated a ph of 6.9 through out my garden. I thought it is possible Burpee made the device to always indicate 6.9 ph, so I tried it in some materials I knew to be acidic and some I knew to be non acidic and it indicated accurately in both cases. If you are concerned about your soil acidity, that little Burpee meter seems to work well.
Ted
This year, I changed my beds around and really amended the soil with compost and new soil. I became curious about the ph because I will be planting a lot of different heirloom tomatoes and don't want them to fail due to my hard headed attitude. I noticed at Home Depot a little ph meter sold by Burpee which has three metal probes on the bottom with a scale on top which indicates the ph and the fertility of the soil. I think it cost $14.00. I took it home and stuck it in the soil in different places in my garden and it indicated a ph of 6.9 through out my garden. I thought it is possible Burpee made the device to always indicate 6.9 ph, so I tried it in some materials I knew to be acidic and some I knew to be non acidic and it indicated accurately in both cases. If you are concerned about your soil acidity, that little Burpee meter seems to work well.
Ted