where to put fireplace ashes...

Shouldnt hurt anyhting...it is just burned organic material.

I know a few people that do that with theirs

Josh

caled> I was wondering if there was any problem with putting fireplace ashes

No reason at all. There is some fertilyzer value to it. Mostly potash. Mine all go on the lawn but then I live in the country so the appearance until it disappears (a day or two unless it rains) is not a factor.

Harry K

:I was wondering if there was any problem with putting fireplace ashes :in the garden? I doubt there is any nutrient value, but it is an :efficient way to get rid of them. Would there be any reasons not too? :thanks

Actually, I believe it's a good source of potash (potassium), one of the essential components of a good fertilizer. I put mine right in my compost pile, which I use exclusively on my vegetables (dug into the soil before planting time).

However, I'm careful not to burn anything toxic in my fireplace, because I don't want toxics either in my compost or the smoke. So, for instance, I will not burn magazines with color photos (I believe the colored inks include toxic substances), nor newspapers with color photos. I will burn B&W printed paper, plain cardboard (again no colors), unpainted wood.

Depends on what you've been burning. If it's just straight clean firewood, then it's a fairly good substitute for liming. The biggest downside is that it's dirty.

If you burn treated wood or any kind of trash, you should probably dispose of the ashes under the lawn, and keep them away from food-crops.

Reportedly ashes are mainly potassium and calcium oxides- good stuff in

reasonable dosages. Haven't analyzed them- just spread them about periodically, mainly under the trees, after sifting out the char.

thanks for all the responses. I will put it in the garden and some on the lawn too. thanks again

snipped-for-privacy@sme-> > I was wondering if there was any problem with putting fireplace ashes

Some are good. A lot is bad. It will change the Ph level of the soil in an alkaline direction if too much is used.

Bob S.

Can't speak to the garden use in large amounts. I have been heating almost 100% with wood since 1977 and all those ashes have gone on my lawns by just slinging the ash pan (very poor spread pattern). Haven't noticed any difference in teh grass but then my "lawn" isn't exaclty a showpiece.

Harry K

I hope you clean your chimney frequently.

And dont burn wood with nails or you will have nails in your garden.

Ash is very alkaline... good for some plants, but horrible for others. Overall, it is NOT a GOOD fertilizer, you're better off using other commericially available fertilizers if you're having trouble with things growing in you're garden.

If you're trying to grow blueberries, you'll kill them with ash. Other stuff, like Okra, couldn't care less... but here okra grows like a weed.

Like you, I hate throwing anything out. I even shred and burn my junk mail as a fireplace starter (works well, btw)... but seriously, you've gotta let the ash go, it's trash. If it makes you feel better, the landfill isn't trying to grow vegetables.

If your town incinerates it's trash though, it would be funny to see the look on the fellas face who has to shovel ash into an incinerator. ;-)

Jason Kelly Valley Center, KS

I do the same thing but am careful to distribute over the whole lawn. My house sits in what used to be old farm land and years of fertilizing has caused the soil to be somewhat acidic. The ashes are bringing the Ph level back to the optimum range but I have to be careful not to swing the level too far in the opposie direction.

Bob S.

If you just stuff the ashes in a barrel and dribble water through it into an evaporation tray, you can eventually collect a fair amount of caustic potash, which is good for all kinds of things.

I was wondering when someone would state the obvious: Bag it up and place it on the curb on pickup day.

ARGH!! Now THAT's funny! [ROFL]

:In article , : " snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com" wrote: : :> you've gotta let the ash go, it's trash. If it makes you feel better, :> the landfill isn't trying to grow vegetables. : :I was wondering when someone would state the obvious: Bag it up and place it :on the curb on pickup day. : :> If your town incinerates it's trash though, it would be funny to see :> the look on the fellas face who has to shovel ash into an incinerator. : :ARGH!! Now THAT's funny! [ROFL]

One thing you should certainly keep in mind:

Make sure the ashes are cold before you do anything with them. My sister had a fire in her house when she shoveled ashes into a combustible container, probably a cardboard box. A passerby was alerted and the fire department came out and settled things, but she could have lost her house. Just because it's been a day or two since you had a fire, don't assume there are no coals there. Be sure.

Dan

Yes, for sure. Every couple years I read a report in the Spokane paper where someone has lost at least a porch if not a house because of that. One should never ever put ashes in a combustible container no matter how sure they are that they are cold.

Harry K