What do you do with your ashes?

[2wheeledwarrior]

I have a wood burnign add-a-furnace and am wondering if there is something better to do that to dump the ashes in an unused corner on the property. Any ideas?

 

[SSdoxie]

When I lived in snow & ice country, I spread mine on the slippery driveway. Not close to house on sidewalk or it tracks back in the house.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

In most cases, it won't hurt, and might benefit, if you spread it on your soil. Remember, it is chemically basic (sweet) so too much is not good for such things as tomatoes or potatoes, but even so, a little probably won't hurt. I use a little ever other year or so on my tomatoes and onions, and it helps. You might test your soil, and see if it needs sweetening. It is kinda nasty till it rains though.

 

[woodyacres]

I have a 10 x 10 foot compost pile that I fill with leaves and compostable food. My ashes go in there. I used to put it on the slippery sections of my driveway, but stopped when I kept falling!

 

[tungularafishcamp]

I always figured I would give a little to each of my kids to put wherever was special to them

 

[JerryK]

I dump my ashes onto wet ground [ in a depression, or hole for ashes... ] most of the year. If the ground is not wet or snow covered, I keep the ashes in an old covered aluminum milk pail until they are DEAD cold. In dead of winter, they are spread in a light coat the lenght of my driveway. I also have several dips running across my road in spots, and they get an extra coat to help with ice melt runoff in the spring... Sure helps with clearing the layer of built up snow/ice off the drive in the spring with all that black/grey dust mixed in with it.

 

[Branchchipper]

We have used it as slug defense around the outside perimeter of raised garden beds. Apparently, slugs (and snails) are abraded (or at least very irritated) by it as they cross a line of ash.

Slugs here are huge and hungry!

I personally would not put it directly in a food garden, or in compost that is destined for a food garden.

Too many persistent byproducts of combustion concentrated in it, if it is either incompletely burned or comes from any kind of treated or painted wood.

 

[hosspuller]

As posted before, the ashes are base like lime. They are also a source of potash. My pasture has spots of broom sedge. I spread the cold ashes on the broom sedge .
I also have a small asparagus patch. The asperagus likes the potash too.

 

[Ken]

I always figured I would give a little to each of my kids to put wherever was special to them

Also put in contasiner and allow water to drip through to get Lye. Then with fish fat heat to close to boil and add lye untill thick and make a fishy type soap.
ken

 

[bp fick]

I'd take all the ashes I could get. Whenever I empty our fire ring, I spread the ashes out on the lawn, around the pines. The grass begins to grower richer and thicker within months. Valuable those ashes!!!! Work better than lime.