Ashes in the garden

[BayJoiner]

From burning off lots of wood shavings & short blocks, plus BBQing briskets and such over charcol, I've accumulated a lot of wood ash. I'm wondering what the benefits & dangers might be from encorporating the ash in the bed of my Salsa garden?

Any thoughts?

[RufflyRustic]

um, what's a salsa garden?

Other than that, yes ashes should be good for the garden, just make sure they are cold, dig them in rather than just lumps. Any chance of mixing them with compost?

cheers
Wendy
(I am so not a gardener, but I can grow the Death Row of Plants )

[Honorary Bloke]

um, what's a salsa garden?

Other than that, yes ashes should be good for the garden, just make sure they are cold, dig them in rather than just lumps. Any chance of mixing them with compost?

cheers
Wendy
(I am so not a gardener, but I can grow the Death Row of Plants )

A salsa garden would be tomatoes, cilantro, peppers, onions, etc. The ingredients of a good raw salsa.

[Iain]

A salsa garden would be tomatoes, cilantro, peppers, onions, etc. The ingredients of a good raw salsa.

And for our local readers Cilantro=Coriander....Peppers=Capsicum and/or chilli and one I recently discovered Aragula=Rocket.
Thanks anyway Bob.
And Porcini is a mushroom, not a little pig

[Honorary Bloke]

And for our local readers Cilantro=Coriander....Peppers=Capsicum and/or chilli and one I recently discovered Aragula=Rocket.
Thanks anyway Bob.
And Porcini is a mushroom, not a little pig

You sly devil. Caught me out, you did.

[echnidna]

wood ash is rich in potash, goes well mixed with soil for potting mix.

[outback]

Wood ash is also very alkaline, this can be good or bad depending on ya soil and the plants ya grow.


I thought Porcini was an opera singer.

[Iain]

And I thought potash was the ash from green cigarettes
Thanks for the potting mix info, will have to try that out and see how we go

[scooter]

Supposed to be good for onions I think.

[rhancock]

Back in the uk, the ashes were always used on the paths around the gardens, but it is also useful as a soil conditioner, it helps to break up the soil and improve the soil structure.

Put it anywhere you like!!

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Wood ash is also very alkaline, this can be good or bad depending on ya soil and the plants ya grow.

Agreed.

FWIW, filtering water through wood-ash is how Lye used to be made for making soap, and it can give you a nasty, nasty chemical burn.

It's a damned good way to kill off the worm population, as well as other beneficial li'l critters, so I'd have second thoughts about applying it to an already productive garden.

If you're just starting a new patch and need to neutralise an acid soil, though...

[Bleedin Thumb]

I agree with Skew & Outback.

Even if you had a Potassium deficiency (sandy or overcropped soil) there are better ways of getting potassium without stuffing up your pH.
Likewise if you have very acidic soils there are better ways of changing your pH than using ash.

BTW the reason you find ash used in or under old paths is because it was a cheap byproduct from industries such as mills that ran on coal and coke during the last century.

[Mcblurter]

Potash is good for flowering plants so a little used around them would be fine. However in a vegie garden be careful as some plants you don't want to flower early, such as lettuces, coriander, silverbeet, basil, celery. But your tomatoes, beans, peas, zucchini, cucumbers, fruiting trees should love it. Probably a handful spread over the top of the soil for each plant would be fine. Also if you have a compost bin a handful or two in that every now and again would be fine, or mix it in once the compost is ready to use.
I usually use potash on flowering plants with a bit of manure of some sort. Just like us really, everything in moderation.
Cheers
McBlurter

[pitbull]

Ash was used in U.K. gardens to help break up the heavy clay what everyone in the N.E. of England had,and because we all had coal fires it was free.My Grandad and Dad had great potatoe and onion crops using this method. One thing to be careful of is using sawdust from pressure treated wood it contains chemicals which may be harmful to the soil or plants.Just my humble opinion.

[Vernonv]

It's probably not a good idea to burn any treated timber, as the chemicals released could be quite harmful to anyone in the vicinity.
Also a very bad idea if you (or anyone in your area) collects rain water for domestic purposes, as the chemicals can settle on roofs and contaminate collected water.