What To Do With Ashes?

Jasper

What do y'all do with your lump ashes? Can they be spread around the lawn or garden? Or should they just go in the trash?

"Sparky"

They are great fertilizer for the garden At least,that's what I do with them

Little Steven

Jasper,

Check the PH of your soil. If it is acidic it will help, if it's alkaline it isn't a good idea. They are good for evergreens.

Steve

Smut-butt

Put them around your shrubs or trees. Be sure that they are completely out; no fire....

My wife dumped mine near my neighbors fence and set it on fire---ha; I just happened to drive up the driveway and saw a blaze!!!! My insurance paid for my neighbor's fence to be repaired.

Be careful; always saturate your ashes before dumping.

hornhonk

I put mine in my ash hole.

faithie999

depends on the soil pH in your area. wood ashes raise the soil pH. new england, where i grew up, tends to have soil that is somewhat acid (which is why rhododendrons and blueberries grow so well there!), so adding wood ashes to vegetable and flower gardens is a good thing. i now live in the midwest, where the soil is close to neutral pH, so adding wood ashes would make the soil too alkaline, and therefore interfere with plants' ability to take up nitrogen.
check with a nursery or garden store in your area and ask them about the local soil pH.

ken

Jasper

Wow...that's pretty crazy. Good thing it was just a fence. Ya, I'm pretty careful about those types of things. The ashes are always from a previous cook so they're totally out.

About PH levels, our dog (my avatar) pees all over the lawn in the backyard. Would this make the PH levels high? Or would ash help with the pee spots? Some parts of the lawn have pee burn from the dog.

JBUG99999

I like to sprinkle them along the rear fence line and drive the neighbors' dogs nuts! :evil:

My husband, the more reasonable of us, uses a small shop vac to clean them out and puts them in the trash. :huh:

Dimple's Mom

I dump them into my compost pile. They eventually make their way into the garden via finished compost.

grillmandan

Add to compost!

ebrooker007

I throw them in my garden.

Ripnem

That is soo funny and not funny at all at the same time. :laugh: :pinch:

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

I toss them on the compost. Lots of acidic oak leaves here....

Grand Oeuf Vert

We got nothing but clay around here. Ashes go a great job busting in up in the garden. Flowers love it!
My rule...less than 48 hours after cook, never the trash.

Mr. & Mrs Potatohead

Pretty much what as been said…
Take a look at the pH of your soil and what you are planting first so that you don’t get way out of range.
But, into the compost pile works great and because it is hard wood ash, it also works great for controlling wire worm (tiny holes in carrots for example), cut worm and grubs in the potato patch. Spread it around, work it into the soil and then add a bit more! It really works!