OT: Ash from a coal / wood fire

[Matthew Ames]

Can this be placed in a compost bin, or should I find an alternative place to dispose of it?

[Weatherlawyer]

Put it aside to weather for a few weeks then top dress roses with it. A zinc or enamel bucket was once the storage of choice. Don't use polythene ones.

[Anna Kettle]

Why?

Anna

[bill]

If it's wood ash use it on the garden. If it's coal, put it in the dustbin.

[Dave Fawthrop]

| On Fri, 30 Dec 2005 14:13:09 -0000, "Matthew Ames" | wrote: |=20 | >Can this be placed in a compost bin, or should I find an alternative = place=20 | >to dispose of it?=20 | >

| >

|=20 | If it's wood ash use it on the garden. If it's coal, put it in the | dustbin.

In the dim and distant past we put it on paths as a walking surface.

--=20 Dave Fawthrop Some of my Hobbies: VDU Glasses=20

Wordlists Celtic fonts=20 Killfile&Anti Troll FAQs Dialect Curry Project, =

[Dark Angel]

Ummm, well ash tends to be rather warm when first removed from the fireplace and plastic has a habit of melting when it comes into contact with heat. Therefore putting ash into a plastic bucket for storage would be rather ill advised!

[Dave Stanton]

Well then let it cool and then store it the plastic bucket. Metal buckets were all we had years ago !!, oh dear showing my age now.....

Dave

[Fentoozler]

My Father did this many moons ago, went out for the afternoon, came back and found a black plastic disc with a handle attached!!!

[meow2222]

As well as providing a solid walking surface, coal ash also kills weeds. And its waste, so an effective economical path material.

Wood ash is plant food, potassium, though its fairly strong, so if you've got a lot, distribute it well.

NT

[Rick]

You can put it on your garden.

We put ours in the bin, but we burn lots of wood with nails in, (packing crates), and have no desire to sift it.

Rick

[Rick]

I tried this, what a mess it made - never again.

Rick

[Weatherlawyer]

If it's wood ash put it in the dustbin. If it's coal, use it on the fire. If it's coal ash use it on roses to ward of back-spot.

Ash from logs is unlikely to contain much of any use. Twigs and bark etc might hold some potash. I'd put it on the compost heap or dump it. But modern bins are plastic. Coal ash needs to weather before using it on the garden. Let it stay in the tin bucket for a few weeks. Cover it with a large tile.

[Derek ^]

And miserable spoilsport OAP's put it on "Slides" we kids had made on icy pavements.

I'm almost an OAP myself now and find icy pavements well scary.

DG

[The Natural Philosopher]

OTOH it does no harm really, and may just be useful as part of your compost heap to condition the moisture retention a bit.

We are tending to throw it on the dormant veg beds to be dig in next spring.

In large quantirtes by itself its a pain, but mixed in with other stuff it may well have useful nutrients...and if nott, no real harm done.

If you are not a grender, bin it and vbe dne with it. Trick is to have a meatal ash box, and tip it when cool into the wheelie bins.

[dennis]

A sprinkling of vinegar soon puts paid to that if its coal ash as it makes a nice stink bomb.

Opps.. sorry if the kids read the above. ;-)