With spring in full force, households will want to make the most of their garden by planting a range of crops like tomatoes and strawberries or flowers like hydrangeas and roses. However, before doing so, it’s vital to find out the natural makeup of your local soil.

Craig Wilson, co-founder and gardening expert at Gardener’s Dream, claimed that understanding the soil pH levels is the first step to planning a “garden that really thrives”. He said: “pH influences the availability of soil nutrients for healthier crops and flowers. It’s worth testing your soil’s pH every so often with a test kit available online or at garden centres. Once you know your baseline, you can either work with your soil or tweak it slightly to make it more acidic using garden lime or sulfur to lower it.”

Craig pointed out that a pH of anything between 6.0 and 7.5 is a “sweet spot” for growing the best flowers and vegetables. These vegetables and flowers include carrots, lettuce, roses and hydrangeas.

Soils that are too acidic or too alkaline affect hydrangeas’ and roses’ ability to absorb nutrients, resulting in stunted growth, poor health, and possibly death.

Lime is added to increase soil pH (make it more alkaline), and acidifying organic materials are added to decrease soil pH.

Peat or sphagnum peat moss is highly acidic and will lower soil pH more than other organic amendments.

Wales, the Midlands, and Western England seem to indicate moderately acidic to neutral pH levels, making them suitable for a wide range of plants. 

If you’re looking to plant roses and hydrangeas but your soil is lacking acidity, coffee grounds are a great addition.

Not only do they alter the pH, but they also add more nutrients to the soil that the plants need to grow healthier flowers when their growing season begins.  

Coffee grounds improve soil structure, enhance drainage, and add organic matter. Their slightly acidic nature makes them ideal for acid-loving plants. 

However, even if your pH is well balanced, crop rotation should be prioritised as growing the same thing each year can exhaust nutrients in the soil, making it harder to grow things in the future.