Very informative postings folks, many thanks.

So ph6.5 ideal for vegetable plants is nonsense!

By the way, perhaps more nonsense, I also read some where across the wonderful internet that a high soil PH can lock the nutrients in the soil so preventing them from feeding up in to the plant roots!

This was the basis of me attempting to lower the PH from 9 (B&Q soil tester).

Only been growing vege for 5 years so plenty still to learn.