# How much ash for a  vegetable garden 50â€™x100â€™



## johnsopi (Dec 31, 2010)

I just dumped a 35 gal trash can of ash (cold and on top of snow low chance of it burning. I hope.). I figure that it took 2.5 cords of wood to
fill the can. Not sure how it's weight but I moved it my self.
I put on my vegetable garden for the peppers and tomatoes. Not sure if this was a good idea but its done. They slash and burn in the Amazon.
I will burn another 3 cords this winter wonder if I should  dump that on the garden ?


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## facemire21 (Dec 31, 2010)

My two gardens are 40x80. I've always heard 1 cup per 100 square feet.  If you're amending soils be careful, it will raise your soils Ph levels and adding large amounts can be more harmful than good.

check out this link
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/woodash.html


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## Lighting Up (Dec 31, 2010)

tomotoes will love it not sure about peppers, think they like acidic soil. What I do is test the soil at the end of the season then add ash were needed, if my soil does not need any I put it in the compost. Remember ash is like adding lime.
good luck
md


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## woodchip (Dec 31, 2010)

Peppers are closely related to tomatoes, and will thrive on a little wood ash. However, the best way to feed peppers and tomatoes is to use on the the branded tomato feeds as they have a finely balanced mix of nutrients. Wood ash alone will put the balance a bit out of kilter. I say that as I used to grow tomatoes for a living, and still raise quite a few plants for a nursery each year. 

The best place for wood ash is on strawberries, they will be bigger, redder, and tastier with the addition of some wood ash. 

And everybody I know likes bigger, redder, tastier strawberries


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## johnsopi (Dec 31, 2010)

The link says 20pounds per 100 sqft so I think I put down @ 40-50 pounds I don't I'll put any more down. I'll till it in then test in the spring.


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## dougstove (Dec 31, 2010)

It depends upon the pH of your soil, but 35 gallons on 50' x 100' is a fair bit.
Potatoes in general do not like ash, it makes them susceptible to scald (superficial, harmless, but ugly patches on the potato).


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## Dune (Jan 1, 2011)

Wood Fox said:
			
		

> The link says 20pounds per 100 sqft so I think I put down @ 40-50 pounds I don't I'll put any more down. I'll till it in then test in the spring.



Yeah but 50x100 is 5000 sq.ft.


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## benjamin (Jan 1, 2011)

If there's any bits of charcoal in the ash it will be "diluted" by the charcoal, 5 cords doesn't produce all that much alkalinity, regardless of the volume of the ash.  

Of course if you want to plant potatoes or other crops that don't like high or neutral ph then put the ashes somewhere else.  Lilacs and some other plants like a neutral soil that ashes will help with in most cases.


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## Adios Pantalones (Jan 1, 2011)

If you compost the ash it will eliminate the alkalinity, but you need a large pile to compost that much.

That's a lot of ash, I wouldn't put down any more this year.

I never use commercial fertilizers on my tomatoes/peppers and they produce more than I can handle.  Compost, bunny crap, green yard trimmings- natural fertilizer does it just as well if not better, IMO.


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## Lynch (Jan 2, 2011)

if you really want veggys to grow put some chicken poo in the soil and til it up!


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## colebrookman (Jan 3, 2011)

Soil test is the best and only way to know what's going on.  Too much is just as bad as too little.  Be safe.


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## Murphy2000 (Jan 16, 2011)

A 55 gallon drum of ash spread over 5000 square feet of active garden is nothing.  Unless your soil is unusually high in potassium or pH, that drum wouldn't hardly even make a dent in it.

My garden is 60 by 100 in sandy soil.  I just dumped about 10,000 pounds of finely chopped leaves into it this last fall and I'll probably add 4 to 5 pickup truck loads of horse manure before I rototill it all in.  

Once that's all done, all my veggies will be planted in a ball of mixed worm poo and kitchen compost.    My buddy jokes that I have to throw the seed and run to avoid the plant sprouting up and poking me in the a$$.


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## Jags (Jan 17, 2011)

How do you folks test the soil?  I tried one of those home testers and was disappointed with its workability.  Mixing soil into water to get it to dissolve and then add xx amount to a vial and shake.  My soil doesn't dissolve.  The whole method seemed suspect.

Edit: I ask this because of an issue I have with trying to grow hot peppers.  The last couple of years has been miserable.  Now tomatoes - that aint no problem.

Note: I have a pretty big hand.


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## benjamin (Jan 17, 2011)

I've never tested the current garden soil, but in the past I've taken samples and sent them off to the state soil test lab, cost about $20 and gave very complete and presumably accurate results.  

For hot pepper failure, I'd search online for disease or other problems before I'd look at the soil, especially with tomatoes like that.  I had great hot pepper plants this year but very few fruit, I think it was to cool of temperatures at night, caused by putting them out too soon.  Peppers are very sensitive and won't set fruit if exposed to cool nights.


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## Jags (Jan 17, 2011)

benjamin said:
			
		

> I
> 
> For hot pepper failure, I'd search online for disease or other problems before I'd look at the soil, especially with tomatoes like that.  I had great hot pepper plants this year but very few fruit, I think it was to cool of temperatures at night, caused by putting them out too soon.  Peppers are very sensitive and won't set fruit if exposed to cool nights.



Well - I guess that is a possibility.  Up to about 4 or 5 years ago, I could grow hot peppers (by hot, I mean ghost and Scotch Bonnets,etc.) quite well.  Then I got this big idea that I needed to augment the garden with stuff.  I must have screwed up with something, or at least that is what I am blaming it on.  Tomatoes, squash, onion, radish - no problems.


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## colebrookman (Jan 17, 2011)

Yes Jags find a reputable testing site, maybe county extension agent, state agency or even some colleges.  Around here Master gardeners do basic testing for ph but for a full work up we send samples to UMass who do great work.  This will eliminate any problems and allow you to concentrate on other items like Ben suggested.  Be safe.
Ed


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## Lighting Up (Jan 18, 2011)

Jags said:
			
		

> benjamin said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Here's a great thread about peppers, I have always know peppers to like soil around 5.5 ph looking at your tomatoes I would guess it's around 7-7.5 ph. 

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cornucop/msg0618223526330.html


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## Boozie (Jan 18, 2011)

My county extension agent gave me the following advice regards adding ashes to the garden:  

_Wood ashes are a decent source of potassium, which is needed by garden crops.  The big problem with wood ashes is that they are highly alkaline, so using them is like liming your garden.

Now, if you garden soil is acid (pH 6 or less), then using wood ashes would be fine.  However, if your pH is neutral to alkaline (7.0 or higher), I would avoid using them in the garden.

If you donâ€™t know your garden soilâ€™s pH, then itâ€™s time to have your soil tested.  Refer to this publication to learn how to collect a sample:  http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/HO-71.pdf . _


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## Adios Pantalones (Jan 18, 2011)

I used to peruse a certain gardening message board and it was funny that people insisted that I needed to have my soil tested- despite the fact that I was overproducing tomatoes and peppers in a big way.  "How will you know what to add" etc- I just do the same thing every year and it works on my soil as it is.

My solution to everything is compost and mulch (usually free shredded leaves).  Watering, fertilizer, weeds, pH, many diseases- all helped or resolved by compost and mulch.  I throw a a lot of bunny poop (from my house rabbits) along with their wood pellet litter and spent hay right in the garden- I might substitute rabbit food or composted manure if my 11 year old bunnies ever decide to die.

By all means have soil tested if you have an issue with a certain crop- but know that the solution doesn't have to be chemical


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## 4acrefarm (Jan 18, 2011)

Very few gardens in New England are neutral, most are acidic.


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## colebrookman (Jan 18, 2011)

4acrefarm said:
			
		

> Very few gardens in New England are neutral, most are acidic.



Very true but just a few towns over from us is the Lee lime quarry, the exception to the rule.  Be safe.
Ed


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## Jags (Jan 18, 2011)

Thanks for the link LU.  Looks like with the guess of high PH - I better stay away from wood ash in the garden.  I did add quite a bit last year, plus lime.  Maybe I took it too far.  A good soil test sounds like the best starting place for me.

And I'm with ya All Purpose - I don't like chemicals all that much, and other than spraying for weeds in the yard (dang dandelions), I avoid them in my food plot.


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## Adios Pantalones (Jan 18, 2011)

"Finished" compost is about neutral pH, no matter what you composted.  Throw in ash early- it will finish neutral.  Compost pine needles- neutral.

I throw ash around liberally in the fall/winter and it has composted along with all the mulch I have on the beds... probably neutral (though I never tested, plants show no signs of pH issues).


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