RE: Best Way to Use Wood Ashes
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- Subject: RE: Best Way to Use Wood Ashes
- From: R* L*
- Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 14:54:37 -0500
- Importance: Normal
- Resent-Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 12:11:46 -0800
- Resent-From: v*@eskimo.com
- Resent-Message-ID: <"GEAG3.0.MG4.1gXXu"@mx1>
- Resent-Sender: v*@eskimo.com
I store all my wood ashes outside in a metal trash can. I then incorporate
the ashes in the vegetable beds in the spring, especially for those
vegetables that like a "sweet" soil, such as peas.
Rene.
-----Original Message-----
From: Julianne Wiley [j*@planetc.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2000 3:46 PM
To: veggie-list@eskimo.com
Subject: Best Way to Use Wood Ashes
Hi, all.
We have a lot of ashes from our wood stove which I always scatter (as evenly
as I can) on all my planting beds, which are are already topped with 5
inches of shredded autumn leaves. I'm thinking that the dry leaves have an
acidic tendency, and the ashes are alkaline, so ashes + leaves =
nearly-neutral compost over the winter. All this is on top of my hard clay
soil.
So it's hard clay soil, then shredded leaes (in raised beds), then ashes,
layered somewhat.
BUT now I read that rain and snow can cause the nutrients in the ashes to
dissolve and trickle away, and so one should protect one's wood ashes from
LEACHING over the winter.
So: what's the best way to handle wood ashes? Store them up all winter in
garbage cans, and spread them in the Spring? Or do like I'm doing? Or
cover my beds with plastic so they don't get rained on in the winter? Or
what?
(You guys are so knowledgeable...)
Ears perked and nose twitching,
Julianne
