fireplace ashes

[Snyder]

Hi! We have a mountain of firewood that we will love burning
in our 3 fireplaces this winter. But what to do with all the ashes?
I've heard lilacs love ashes, but I think we could overdo it with them.
Any suggestions or thoughts would be very appreciated! Ann

[The Useful Gardener]

Hi, Snyder!

You can definitely put the ashes to good use in your landscape. Wood
ashes are high in CaCO3 (calcium carbonate) and can be used like lime
in raising soil pH. In addition, the ashes contain some micronutrients
and are about equivalent to 0-1-3 (NPK) as a gentle fertilizer. The
ashes don't contain nitrogen but do provide a mild does of phosphorus
and potassium.

The ashes are considered beneficial for most deciduous trees & shrubs,
fruits (especially figs and grapes), most vegetables and bulb
plantings. It's always a good idea to have your soil tested so that
you know your "starting" pH. If the pH is already high (5.5 - 6.5)
you might want to donate the ashes to someone with a more acidic
soil. Overall, I use wood ashes copiously around our fig trees,
apples and grapes. The recommended dose is 20# per 1,000 square
feet... or a better measurement might be 1 gallon of ashes per square
yard. If you have really sandy soil, I'd use about half of that.
If you sprinkle the ashes 1/4"to 1/2" thick in the planting beds over
the winter, they will disappear with the winter rains and move the
nutrients into the soil before spring.

Word to the wise: don't use ashes around acid-loving plants such as
azaleas, rhododenrons, blueberries, most evergreens or camellias. If
you're not sure, just Google the plant and the pH to find out if it
would like lime (usually those which prefer a pH above 5.5). Also,
don't use ashes (or lime or fertilizer) directly on germinating seeds.

Hope this helps!
Sybil