Is it okay to put fireplace ashes in your compost? Or just spread them around the garden?
You can put some in the compost, sure. But if you have a LOT, it will affect the ph of the compost. Wood ashes are alkaline, and will drive up the ph in your soil.
I have alkaline soil already, and most plants prefer a slightly acid soil. Adding all the ashes to the compost would not be good for a garden in which Im trying to LOWER the ph of.
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9 Responses to “Is it okay to put fireplace ashes in your compost? Or just spread them around the garden?”
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Yes it is. The high carbon content helps promote a good garden.The best evidence to support this is volcanic soil. Most areas that have had volcanic activity, or even forest fires have always grown back lush and vigorous.
I store my fireplace ashes in the basement until I get ready to plant. I till up the soil and add generous amounts of the ash with my fertilizer. I ALWAYS have a great turnover of vegetables and flowers.
However, bring some of you base soil to a garden shop and have it tested for ph levels, as you want to insure a good balance.
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Ashes are OK in lreasonable quantities – 2 gallons of ash per 3 cubic feet of compost due to the alkaline nature of the ash.
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http://www.compostguide.com/
You can put some in the compost, sure. But if you have a LOT, it will affect the ph of the compost. Wood ashes are alkaline, and will drive up the ph in your soil.
I have alkaline soil already, and most plants prefer a slightly acid soil. Adding all the ashes to the compost would not be good for a garden in which Im trying to LOWER the ph of.
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I think they are alkaline and may help some plants.
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poob
If your soil is acid, it would not do any harm. If you live in an area where the soil is already alkaline, don't even think about using them anywhere..
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hi i'm not a gardner,but my friend is and she put ashes on her garden.she says it's the same as whats called pot ash,and it helps the soil be healthy.you could call a green house to be sure,but her garden looks great.good luck.
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I have a garden and i just spread ashes in the garden then till them under.
I am sure others have other ideas but it works for me.
I do this because that is what my Mother did and she grew wonderful gardens so i am not going to change a good thing.
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Adding ashes to the compost will not add to the composting process. So it is better to spread it to the garden directly now rather than spreading it with the compost later.
However, adding to the compost will not cause any harm either.
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It depends entirely on your soil PH. Most of us suffer from acidic soil so would be a great idea! But if your soil is already alkaline, would only make it more so. Perhaps you should have your soil tested. Actually if you have pine trees all over the place, you don't need to…would be acidic.
Don't put ashes in the vicinity of rhodedendrons, azaleas…they thrive on acidic soil.
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