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Southeastern Idaho

I have a 10 gal can full of ash from my fireplace. It's 100% Quaking Aspen ash and was thinking about spreading it over my 40'x40' pumpkin patch and working it into the ground. Good idea or not?

2/20/2015 7:33:56 PM

Whitehall Montana

I have done that over here in Montana and over did it last year.Its hard to get it even sped on the patch.

2/20/2015 7:53:48 PM

Rudolph

Ash will raise your potassium nitrate level(pot ash) and I believe lower your ph? At any rate I've been doing it for years probably about 20 or so gallons a year, what ever comes out of the wood Furnaces! Hard to spread evenly like Slim said, but I believe it is beneficial to the soil,,after all why do forests that burn down grow back twice as strong!

2/20/2015 8:18:51 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

wood ash raises ph due to the high calcium content.

2/20/2015 9:40:58 PM

Upa Creek, MO

Ash raises ph - listen to the feller from Iowa

2/20/2015 9:46:35 PM

Ely Mn

Ash will raise ph.but I wouldn't worry about only ten gallons in a 40 x40.I would do it if it were me.

2/20/2015 10:25:59 PM

Germany

Take a wheelbarrow and fill in layers of ash and moist patch soil, then mix it (with a spade and the with your hands) and you will obtain a mixture which can be spread over the patch much much better than the ash itself (especially on a windy day). (Don´t forget to wash your hands thereafter and don´t touch your eyes as long as you have the ash on your hands.)

2/21/2015 5:10:40 AM

Brooklyn Corner, Nova Scotia

Here is a good short article on the benefits of using wood ashes in your garden.

https://www.humeseeds.com/ashes.htm

2/21/2015 7:35:20 AM

East Jordan, MI

Wood Ash is a very good natural amendment to raise CA and a number of other micro and macro nutrients. As with anything else you add, I would use a soil test to determine if it was beneficial to add them.

Here is an article I put together for our club a few years ago. The articles sited at the bottom are unfortunately not available anymore.

http://cgpgrowers.blogspot.com/p/usingwood-ashes-as-ammendment-what-is.html

2/21/2015 8:26:46 AM

East Jordan, MI

I just did a quick google search and found these newer articles. And this caution that I had never read before.

Do not add ash with nitrogen fertilizers such as ammonium sulfate (21-0-0-24S), urea (46-0-0) or ammonium nitrate (34-0-0). These fertilizers produce ammonia gas when placed in contact with high pH materials such as wood ash.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/wood-ash-can-be-useful-yard-if-used-caution
http://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.cfm?number=B1142
http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-2648/PSS-2238web2013.pdf
http://web.extension.illinois.edu/state/newsdetail.cfm?NewsID=12505
http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/lawn_garden/home_gardening/Fireplace+Ashes+on+Your+Soil.htm
http://vric.ucdavis.edu/pdf/FERTILIZATION/fertilization_Woodashes.pdf
http://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_docs/locations/frederick_county/MG%20Article-02-18-13%20Using%20Wood%20Ashes%20in%20Your%20Garden%20by%20Julie%20Falk.pdf
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/woodash.html

2/21/2015 8:38:17 AM

East Jordan, MI

And just when you thought I was done....LOL
here is what I was looking for and couldn't readily lay my hands on.

http://umaine.edu/publications/2279e/

I had seen this after writing that article and considered adding to it because of the supporting test data that is present in this article ...but I never got around to it.

2/21/2015 8:45:19 AM