A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2007 Ashes

We installed a wood stove in our home over the winter and consequently have been producing a lot of ashes. Mr. Stu has been dumping them on the garden spot, on top of the snow. I've not said anything because I don't have a better idea but I'm wondering if this is or is not good for our soil?

We have really good soil and have been adding composted goose manure to it every other year or so for a while now. I'm scared he's going to ruin what we've worked so hard on.

They're very alkaline Stu. Only a bad thing if your soil's pH is already high.

It really depends on what size area you're talking about and the amount of ashes. Is it a lot of ashes in a small area or over a larger area? I would suggest just testing your soil to see if it's really needed or not. It can be a good thing or a bad thing to do and a soil test would give you the answer.

We've had wood heat for as long I can remember, & have ALWAYS dumped the ashes in the gardens with no adverse results. (Burning boards with nails in them & throwing cigarette packages in the stove is against the rules here, cuz I work with bare feet outdoors... & guess who gets to pick all that metal out of the garden later!) I learned the hard way, NOT to just dump the ash bucket in a pile & leave it... it gets hard, like mortar, which makes it more difficult to rake into the soil, come spring. As Patti mentioned, it probably wouldn't hurt to test the soil, although I don't think our ashes ever made a difference one way or another in the outcome of the plants,

Your composted goose manure sounds great! I'll bet that you have some great looking gardens!

I was only going to add, ashes can be good
for your soil or compost, just in small quantities...

It has potash (potassium), **Potassium (K)
Potassium is absorbed by plants almost as much as nitrogen. It helps with the building of protein, photosynthesis, helps the fruit grow and helps ward off diseases.**

Wood ashes do raise the soil pH;

But putting on the ashes during the middle of the winter is good, but make sure it's rototilled or shoveled in and under and incorporated, because it shouldn't touch germinating seedlings or plant roots cause it cause's the roots to burn.

Use the woodash roughly 20lbs per 1,000 square feet.


Andddddddd NEVER use coal ashes, they are poisonous to your soil...(*and plants uptake*)

~~~>We used woodashes in our gardens too...
for as long as I can remember..
A light sprinklin' over the soil in the winter time...

We also used it in our driveway, our driveway was on a slope on a side of a hill, and sprinkled it along the path up/down for traction on top of the slippery ice...

Thanks you guys, I really appreciate your replies. I feel better now.

As far as size goes, our garden is about 12 feet by 60 feet. Or so. I'm just estimating. And we have a bucket of ashes every few days in the winter. Mr. Stu is dumping them there now--no nails, no trash, just wood is all we burn. I am also a barefoot gardener. And he will till the whole thing up well as soon as the snow is gone and the ground is thawed.

And yes, the goose manure is the best. It has really improved our soil and made our plants happy.

I'm glad to be back at this site. I took a break over the winter from posting but I came back because everyone here is just so dang nice and quick to reply too. Thanks again!!

Also, I've been thinking about getting my soil tested but where do I do that?

Geesh, considering the size of your garden I really doubt if the amount of ashes you are putting in will do any harm to the soil. :rolleyes:

You can usually buy a soil test kit at most local nurseries and some stores. Of course, if you have a County Extension Center most of them can run a soil test for you

I don't dare garden barefoot. Somebody had a trash pile my garden is. There is broken glass and metal in part of it. I guess there was a metal pile in one corner, I found enough knives for a full set, I have picked up over a 5 gallon bucket of trash out in the past 3 years.

Stuspot, check with your state or county extension service. You could also get it done through the university of Connecticut at the link below. It's just a matter of sending them a sample of your soil.

http://www.canr.uconn.edu/plsci/stlab.htm

I don't dare garden in bare feet either..no trash, but who ever use to garden here apparently used these huge nails to add something to the garden and I find those all the time, also even though most of the large rocks are gone..there are plenty of small rocks and those are sharp if stepped on with bare feet!!!!

I have sprinkled wood ashes on my garden, but not all winter, and I do mix some in the compost pile. I also use some in the peony bed...And like weezie, I spread them in the driveway and the road in front of our house to melt the ice/snow in the winter time. So my ashes get spread all around.

Geesh, I can't even imagine gardening barefoot in the garden. I've never been able to go barefoot anywhere and I don't even go barefoot in the house. :rolleyes: I have to have shoes and socks on my feet at all times.

Ashes are really great for melting the snow and ice. Plus, it gives you better traction when you get stuck in the snow piled at the end of your driveway when they plow the street.

I used to barefoot garden as well.......until I trod on a wasp!! OUCH