# What do you do with your ashes?



## sixman (Apr 29, 2010)

This coming winter will be my first year burning wood and had planned on putting the ashes left over on my garden for fertilizer. Just wondering what everyone else is doing with their ashes.


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## jpl1nh (Apr 29, 2010)

sixman said:
			
		

> This coming winter will be my first year burning wood and had planned on putting the ashes left over on my garden for fertilizer. Just wondering what everyone else is doing with their ashes.


I spread them over my lawn when it's not snow covered, generally just before it rains so the dogs don't track them in..or.. put them back out in the woods where they came from.  Could make lye out of them.


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## Todd (Apr 29, 2010)

jpl said:
			
		

> sixman said:
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How does that work out for your lawn jpl? Does it kill dandelions?


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## savageactor7 (Apr 29, 2010)

Throw 'em in the garden.


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## REF1 (Apr 29, 2010)

Gardens.


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## rottiman (Apr 29, 2010)

I have a large driveway which has a noticable incline.  Whenever we get an Icy day I spread them on the hilly part of the driveway.  The fine woodash grips glare ice and the driveway becomes like a dry road in terms of traction.  You want to make sure to keep them from any area that you walk thru to avoid tracking.  Using them as opposed to melter or salt saves the driveway and the enviroment and the spring rains wash them into the ground.  What I don't use on the driveway goes on the lawn.


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## timfromohio (Apr 29, 2010)

Garden and/or compost pile


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## Adios Pantalones (Apr 29, 2010)

I use it on my ice, throw it on the lawn, put it in the garden, compost it, use it in glazes for pottery, have used it in tanning a deer hide, etc. etc.


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## Dakotas Dad (Apr 29, 2010)

I just spread it back in the woods. 

Ok, I don't really spread it.. 

I walk out 30' or so into the trees and dump it.


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## firefighterjake (Apr 29, 2010)

Lawn . . . woods (especially if I've been burning pallets) . . . garden (but not too much to upset the balance of the soil) . . . but mostly during the winter I put them on my driveway . . . adds traction and helps melt the snow and ice.


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## Dieselbreath (Apr 29, 2010)

I spread it around the perimeter of my garden and it keeps the slugs out.


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## Slow1 (Apr 29, 2010)

firefighterjake said:
			
		

> garden (but not too much to upset the balance of the soil)



How much is too much for a garden?  I'm planning on putting some in my (about to be built) raised beds, but don't want to add too much of a good thing here... 

Thoughts?

And for those spreading on the lawn - how do you deal with the chucks?  Pick them up after a rain or just let them work their way into the ground over time?


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## par0thead151 (Apr 29, 2010)

Slow1 said:
			
		

> firefighterjake said:
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i want to know this as well.
i spread some on my lawn, but found it hard to evenly disburse the ashes, and the chunks remained there for weeks


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## Backwoods Savage (Apr 29, 2010)

Ashes are a poor man's lime.

We've spread ashes on our gardens for many years. The only caution is to spread it thin; definitely no heavier than you would if spreading lime. The problem is if one just dumps the ashes, nothing will grow there for a year or more. One time I didn't see one of my sons dump some ashes on the garden and he got lazy and just dumped into a pile. When I started garden work I naturally spread them out....but nothing grew where that little pile was and it was only a bucket full of ashes. The following year was okay but not that year. 

When you spread the ashes you only want a very light coating. If you think you are spreading too thick, you are.


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## Slow1 (Apr 29, 2010)

I'm looking at mixing some into new raised beds - thus 'spreading' doesn't really seem to apply.  Rather I'm going to be getting a load of dirt (whatever the best bulk I can find for reasonable $'s short of buying potting $oil) and then adding in some compost etc where the ashes are part of the 'etc' - when filling a 4x8x1 box of dirt I was thinking about 1/2 of my ash pail would mix in well enough - thoughts?


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## Got Wood (Apr 29, 2010)

Any good approaches for spreading thin? Would a rotary spreader (like for for lawn fertilizer) do the job?


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## sixman (Apr 29, 2010)

I would think that you could just take the buckets of ash and pitch them on the garden throughout the winter and till it all in real good in the spring and that would do the job. That gets some of the ash down in the dirt with no huge concentrations in any one spot.


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## daveswoodhauler (Apr 29, 2010)

sixman said:
			
		

> I would think that you could just take the buckets of ash and pitch them on the garden throughout the winter and till it all in real good in the spring and that would do the job. That gets some of the ash down in the dirt with no huge concentrations in any one spot.



Kinda similar to what I do....just when it snows it tough to see where you dumped the last pail of ashes 
You can check out your accurance after the snow is melted and then just till it in.


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## ChillyGator (Apr 29, 2010)

I like to HAUL ASH      :red:


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## billb3 (Apr 29, 2010)

I'm hoping to have enough left over for a copper coffin from Costco.


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## SteveKG (Apr 29, 2010)

If spreading ash on a garden, I would encourage one to get an inexpensive pH tester [$25] and use it. Depending on a number of factors, such as the pre-ash starting pH, the type wood burned, the chemical make-up of the soil, and so on, the garden can become quite unbalanced. 

On the other hand, if you are not talking about a layer of ash several inches deep across the place, it probably won't matter...as with tilling in a small amount. However, if the soil is marginally ok, the ash could push it past acceptable. Some plants don't care too much, if it isn't extreme, and can thrive across a pretty wide pH band; others care very much. A friend of mine had some chickens, and he dumped mounds of chicken manure [not composted] and mounds of stove ash on his garden soil all winter. He was unable to grow very much for several yr. afterwards. Except some very hardy and tenacious weeds.


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## semipro (Apr 29, 2010)

rottiman said:
			
		

> I have a large driveway which has a noticable incline.  Whenever we get an Icy day I spread them on the hilly part of the driveway.  The fine woodash grips glare ice and the driveway becomes like a dry road in terms of traction.  You want to make sure to keep them from any area that you walk thru to avoid tracking.  Using them as opposed to melter or salt saves the driveway and the enviroment and the spring rains wash them into the ground.  What I don't use on the driveway goes on the lawn.



I'm always amazed how well they work for this. Even a very thin layer allows you to walk or drive where you couldn't before.


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## kenny chaos (Apr 29, 2010)

Both my mom's and my dad's ashes will be tossed to the wind atop Mt. Soledad.
Mine go in the yard.


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## firefighterjake (Apr 30, 2010)

Semipro said:
			
		

> rottiman said:
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Same here . . . there have been a time or two when I've been stuck . . . just tossed half a spade's worth of ash underneath the tire and came right out as if I was driving on tar.


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## firefighterjake (Apr 30, 2010)

RE: Spreading on a garden. Technically it would be best to get a soil testing kit . . . but I'm too cheap. Instead, I'm like Dennis (we tend to do many of the same things and think alike . . . except we vehemently disagree on the best way to run a splitter) . . . I tend to spread the ashes relatively rarely on the garden . . . and always spread it thinly . . . usually using a small garden shovel to scatter the ash here and there.


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## Backwoods Savage (Apr 30, 2010)

Slow1: It might work but sounds like a lot depending on what you put in there. If it is sandy it will work but good black dirt needs very little if any.


Got Wood:  The rotary spreaders might work. I've never tried it. But I'm thinking it would not work too great. The ashes might plug up; might not fall down to the bottom too great. Give it a try and let us know if it does a good job or not.


sixman: We have just thrown ashes like that but found it works better to spread them in the spring and get them spread more evenly.


SteveKG.  Our experience with the cheap ph testers show they are junk. You are right in that most folks don't put that much ash on so it won't change the ph a lot so why worry. On the chicken manure, that is hot stuff! To give you an example, when we spread cow manure and chicken manure, the chicken manure goes on at about 1/4 (or less) as heavy as cow manure. Horse manure should sit in a pile for a year before spreading.


And finally, if we ever teach Jake how to split wood, that day will be declared a National Holiday for sure! But my wife says his head is about as hard as hickory!  :lol:  ;-)


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## BrotherBart (May 1, 2010)

I take the ashes back to where I found them. To the woods.

And I run a splitter just like God intended it to be run. Vertical.  :coolgrin: But I use a round, not a milk case for a seat. When I split the seat I know the job is done.


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## kenny chaos (May 1, 2010)

BrotherBart said:
			
		

> But I use a round, not a milk case for a seat. When I split the seat I know the job is done.









Have you ever found yourself getting kind of attached to a certain round that
has seemed to serve you especially well?


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## BrotherBart (May 1, 2010)

kenny chaos said:
			
		

> BrotherBart said:
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Nah.


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## Backwoods Savage (May 1, 2010)

A round works fine....but I'd still put a hot seat on it. And you are right about the splitting vertical. I do hope Jake sees this post.


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## geTula (May 1, 2010)

I save them up over the winter and spread them lightly over the garden and disk them in with my tractor in the spring.  I have a big garden 80'x100' so it can handle a lot of ashes.


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## Backwoods Savage (May 1, 2010)

Live Oak, that is a pretty good sized garden. What do you grow down there?

btw, I just planted sweet corn this week. 19 rows, 120' per row. Planted peas and potatoes also along with some new strawberries.


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## geTula (May 2, 2010)

Backwoods:

I have sweet corn, black-eyed peas (cow peas to the folks up North), cream peas, pinto beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, banana peppers, jalipeno peppers, yellow squash, and onions up and growing.  Planted egg plant and okra today.  Also have peach, apricot, plum, and  pecan trees.  We eat some, can some, and give some away.  Usually make several batches of hot sauce from the excess tomatoes and peppers.  Every year I ask myself why I do it, but keep doing it anyway.  Nothing much better in life than fresh sweet corn straight from the garden.


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## geTula (May 2, 2010)

Backwoods:
Forgot that I also have an asparagus bed and planted a new one a week ago as well as a new blue berry bush.  I don't try to grow black berries though, there are too many rattle snakes around here.

Used to go Michigan some when I was working.  Still have some good friends up there.


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## begreen (May 2, 2010)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> Live Oak, that is a pretty good sized garden. What do you grow down there?
> 
> btw, I just planted sweet corn this week. 19 rows, 120' per row. Planted peas and potatoes also along with some new strawberries.



That's a whole lotta corn. Do you sell it? If so, how?


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## Backwoods Savage (May 2, 2010)

No we do not sell the corn. We eat fresh and freeze the rest. Also, we do not grow the newer varieties of the super sweet stuff because it does bad things in my belly. We stick with the golden bantam or a golden cross bantam but haven't found any golden cross for many years now. The golden bantam freezes well and tastes fresh all winter long. Also, we never do any blanching of vegetables and found after we quit that the food tastes much better and we also feel that blanching causes a lot of the food value to go down the drain rather than in the belly.

Actually we don't grow that much for variety in our gardens simply because we don't like a lot of vegetables. Corn, peas and potatoes are the biggies. Tomatoes too. 


Blackberries are delicious! Not many snakes to worry about here. We do have a pretty good sized raspberry patch and some blackberries too. Also strawberries. Then there are a couple full sized peach and apple trees along with some dwarf and semi-dwarf peach and cherries. As you might guess, we do like fruit. The peaches are my favorite when picked right off the tree! I like the Elberta peach too.

Here's a little hint on the peaches. As you know, after freezing peaches, when you unthaw them they turn brown really fast. That does not have to be! We freeze the peaches in plastic containers and will put a container in the microwave and zap it for a few seconds. Then take a fork and loosed them just a bit and zap for a few more seconds. Then we can remove from the container just the amount we want. Follow up with another zapping or sometimes 2. The key is to not unthaw them fully but leave just a hint of ice. 

As to how long before they would turn brown like this I have never experimented with. I usually just put them on a bowl of cereal and feast right away! It is not as good as fresh off the tree but much better than the old way of eating brown peaches or even worse, canning them. 


btw, somehow I just knew you'd have a pretty good planting of peppers down there. lol

We too sometimes wonder why we still have a garden....until we start eating from it. Somehow the food just tastes so much better when you've put some sweat into growing it. Also, you know what you are eating vs. buying in a store.


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## begreen (May 2, 2010)

Wow, that's still impressive. Would that be about 20 bushels of corn in a good year? With that quantity of good corn, I'd be selling it. Locally they are getting $.50/ear. How do you store all that corn? We don't eat more than a bushel in a year, but there's just the two of us now, so our patch is much more modest. We have blackberries growing up the wazoo growing wild, so no need for cultivation there. But I do have a big old hollow cherry stump that I have growing a monster plant for easy picking. We do have a nice crop of raspberries and strawberries growing and hope to get another couple of peach trees started this year. Thanks for the tip on thawing. We also can up batches of peach halves.


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## Backwoods Savage (May 2, 2010)

The going rate here is also around .50 per ear. We won't get 20 bushel probably as our ground is pretty darned poor. Yellow sand. Over the years we have built it up a bit (they said we'd never do it though) but it still takes a bit of care to do. But we certainly eat more than a bushel of corn!

BeGreen, I am betting you can grow some good fruit in your area. It should be about ideal. We don't like canned peaches though but find that most folks who can don't like the browning of the frozen peaches.


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## begreen (May 2, 2010)

Yes, this is a big fruit region. The mild winters are great for many types of fruit. This year I actually planted a pomegranate. It's a Russian variety, so we'll see how it does.


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## Backwoods Savage (May 2, 2010)

I've always wondered what those things taste like. How big is it now?


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## begreen (May 2, 2010)

About 3ft, just starting to leaf out. I'm not expecting any fruit this year from it.


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## Backwoods Savage (May 2, 2010)

If it is anything like apples or peaches it will take many years before it produces much at all. Seven years is the old standard for when good production starts on most fruit trees. Good luck with it.


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## begreen (May 2, 2010)

Pomegranate is a shrub, I'm guessing ours is already at least 2 years old. They start blooming younger than fruit trees. It wouldn't surprise me if it tries to fruit this year, but I will limit it to just a few fruits if it does so the plant puts its energy into establishing good roots. The bigger question is whether we will have enough heat in our summer for it to fruit. They like it hot. I'm hoping the Russian variety will be more cool weather adapted.


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## Country Lady (May 2, 2010)

Our pecan trees haven't done too well lately and someone told us to put ashes around the trees.  Since we had a huge pile of ashes from the Winter, we thought we'd try it.  DH spread the ashes around them the first of March.  The pecan trees have had a hard time budding out.  They're no where nearly as leafed out as others around us.  We're thinking we shouldn't have put the ashes around them.


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## geTula (May 3, 2010)

Backwoods:

While this has nothing to do with ashes, thought I share this.

We don't have problems with our frozen peaches turning brown after they have thawed. We cut them in slices, sprinkle them with Fruit Fresh and sugar, stir them up good, and freeze them in pint freezer bags. They will hold up in the freezer for several years. We use them on cereal, home made ice cream, on cake and in cobblers.

As far as freezing corn, I haven't found any way that is satisfactory. I basically don't like frozen vegetables of any kind. Sometines we blanch it and cut it off the cob for freezing. It is ok for soups and stews, but is a lot of work for what you get.


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## 70marlin (May 3, 2010)

I throw it in the swamp.


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## firefighterjake (May 3, 2010)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> Slow1: It might work but sounds like a lot depending on what you put in there. If it is sandy it will work but good black dirt needs very little if any.
> 
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> Got Wood:  The rotary spreaders might work. I've never tried it. But I'm thinking it would not work too great. The ashes might plug up; might not fall down to the bottom too great. Give it a try and let us know if it does a good job or not.
> ...




Hmmmm . . . you can tell your wife she is right . . . I am hard headed . . . it's the Irish in me . . . for some reason I'm not much of a drinker, but I can be very stubborn.


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