What is pH and what is the ideal pH for my vegetables and flowers?
Soil pH measures the acidity or alkalinity of the soil. A neutral soil that is neither acid nor alkaline has a pH of 7. Acid soils are considered low pH (below 7) and alkaline soils are classified as high pH (above 7). Some plants thrive in an acid or alkaline soil, but many common garden plants prefer a neutral soil. If a plant is in a soil that is too acid or too alkaline for its particular needs, it will be unable to access the nutrients in the soil. No matter how much you fertilize, the plant won’t thrive unless you adjust the soil’s pH to meet the needs of the plants. You can buy a simple home test kit to measure the pH of your soil, and then you can adjust the pH gradually. Acid soils can be neutralized with calcium or agricultural lime, and alkaline soils can be corrected with sulfur or with regular applications of mulch or aged manure. However, it’s important to make these adjustments gradually to avoid shocking the plants, and in general we encourage you to choose plants that
