Subject: Fireplace ash as additive to compost

From: [email-masked] (Ian McDiarmid)
Date: Fri, 24 Mar 1995 14:57:01 GMT

I seem to remember hearing that an effective and beneficial way of
disposing of fireplace ash was to mix it into gardens and compost.  Is
this true; and if so at what ratio should I be mixing?  Thanks for your
help.:-)

--
Ian McDiarmid
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Christine Owens)
Date: 25 Mar 1995 16:37:32 GMT

>this true; and if so at what ratio should I be mixing?  Thanks for your

Put it in the compost, not in the garden, unless you have low
pH.  (Ash will produce a significant amount of NaOH when
it comes in contact with water.)  Try to make it less than
10% of your compost pile, although this is not a hard-and-
fast rule.  (I tend to compost on the "this is what I have
today" method.)

Chris Owens

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From: [email-masked] ()
Date: 26 Mar 1995 05:06:23 GMT

Ian McDiarmid ([email-masked]) wrote:

: I seem to remember hearing that an effective and beneficial way of
: disposing of fireplace ash was to mix it into gardens and compost.  Is
: this true; and if so at what ratio should I be mixing?  Thanks for your
: help.:-)

: --
: Ian McDiarmid
: [email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (William Lewis)
Date: 28 Mar 1995 06:21:15 -0500

>fast rule.  (I tend to compost on the "this is what I have

What about areas that were used to burn brush already in the garden?
Our vegetable garden was once a big brush pile.  We chipped up most
of the stuff and burned alot in one spot in the garden when we were
clearing out some woods.  This year that spot got tilled into the garden.
 It's been about a year+ since anything was burned there.

What are my prospects of having something grow there, and is there anything
I should add to make my chances better?

BL

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From: [email-masked] (Dave Harnish)
Date: 5 Apr 1995 16:46:14 GMT

Rolf Nelson ([email-masked]) wrote:
: In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] wrote:
: [snip] 
: > What about areas that were used to burn brush already in the garden?
: > Our vegetable garden was once a big brush pile.  We chipped up most
: > of the stuff and burned alot in one spot in the garden when we were
: > clearing out some woods.  This year that spot got tilled into the garden.
: >  It's been about a year+ since anything was burned there.
: > 
: > What are my prospects of having something grow there, and is there anything
: > I should add to make my chances better?
: > BL

: Your chances are very good. Fire is nature (and mans) recycler of woody stuff.

: The reason the Forrest Service has "slash burns" is to reduce the logging 
: "leftovers" (stmps, tops, and branches) to useable soil nutrients faster 
: than natural composting action would do so. In many parts of the world, 
: land is cleared by burning, then planted, because burning makes the otherwise 
: very marginal soil farmable for a couple of years. Burn-spots are a great 
: place to garden.

: Rolf Nelson
: [email-masked], speaking for myself only

: Gardens, Guns, and Grit is what America's all about....

Ditto!  We put our wood ashes on the garden all winter long, and have 
great results!  It's not a really big garden, either; by Spring, the 
entire surface is usually covered with ash.  It tills in well, and the 
plants (EXCEPT potatoes) love it!
 
Dave
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From: [email-masked] (Rolf Nelson)
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 1995 16:34:24 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] wrote:
[snip] 
> I should add to make my chances better?

Your chances are very good. Fire is nature (and mans) recycler of woody stuff.

The reason the Forrest Service has "slash burns" is to reduce the logging 
"leftovers" (stmps, tops, and branches) to useable soil nutrients faster 
than natural composting action would do so. In many parts of the world, 
land is cleared by burning, then planted, because burning makes the otherwise 
very marginal soil farmable for a couple of years. Burn-spots are a great 
place to garden.

Rolf Nelson
[email-masked], speaking for myself only

Gardens, Guns, and Grit is what America's all about....

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From: [email-masked] (William )
Date: 07 Apr 1995 09:30:25 GMT

Wood ashes should be high in potassium and rather alkaline.  Probably has
something to do with the term "potash" for potassium even!

BillW

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From: [email-masked] (Dave Harnish)
Date: 5 Apr 1995 16:46:14 GMT

: Rolf Nelson

 
Dave

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From: [email-masked] (Rolf Nelson)
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 1995 16:34:24 GMT

Rolf Nelson

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From: [email-masked] (William )
Date: 07 Apr 1995 09:30:25 GMT

BillW

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From: [email-masked] (Dave Harnish)
Date: 5 Apr 1995 16:46:14 GMT

: Rolf Nelson

 
Dave

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From: [email-masked] (Rolf Nelson)
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 1995 16:34:24 GMT

Rolf Nelson

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From: [email-masked] (William )
Date: 07 Apr 1995 09:30:25 GMT

BillW

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From: lcw@uucp (Larry Wolfe)
Date: Mon, 10 Apr 1995 02:30:55 GMT

>: > What about areas that were used to burn brush already in the garden?
 [...]
>plants (EXCEPT potatoes) love it!

  Just a word of caution.  I have no idea where the original poster is
  from.  It matters and is one more reason for including that whenever
  you post to rec.gardens.  Hereabouts, Austin, Tx, the tap water has a
  pH around 8.6 in the summer.  The soil is quite alkaline.  Adding
  Drano, so to speak, is not the best strategem for balancing pH.

  Check to see what your local conditions are and take tha advice of 
  posters from half a continent or planet away with a large grain of
  salt.  The chances are rather good that your conditions and theirs
  are different.

  For reasons too subtle to mention, acid rain is not felt to be a problem
  in these parts...
  
  --larry