Ashes

I have people tell me that ashes are good for a garden. Is that true?

Wood ash is, not coal ash.

Thanks didnt now

I always trhrow a decent amount of wood/coal ash in my garden area & till it all in in the spring. Hell,it's all organic & it all comes from the earth. I always have a real good 25' X 35' garden. Just an old farmers process.

http://www.coalashfacts.org/

Interesting reading at the above link.

And this may or may not change your mind about using coal ash in your garden. Chances are you have eaten some food that has been grown with some coal ash in the soil...

http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... sh-in-soil

Not only that, but I drink milk right from the cow, eggs right from home kept chickens & beef that is right out of the barn & butchered by yours truly. Only the youngest girl has 3 eyes & 8 fingers on one hand. I wonder???

freetown fred wrote:Not only that, but I drink milk right from the cow, eggs right from home kept chickens & beef that is right out of the barn & butchered by yours truly. Only the youngest girl has 3 eyes & 8 fingers on one hand. I wonder???

Ahhhh Come on now Fred.. Those 3 eyes and 8 fingers are just the next step in the evolution of mankind! (Thanks to coal!)

coal ash (esp. from stokers) isn't really all that useful to use in a garden because it doesn't provide much. Most of the beneficial elements either aren't there or they're trapped within the vitrified particles. softer hand-fired ash might add some minerals to the soil, but it's not much different than adding sand. I've used a bit in my garden; it doesn't really do too much one way or the other; although I suppose it could add some trace minerals to the soils and would be slightly beneficial to the plants. I don't know of any farmers spreading flyash like one of the articles mentions, but I have heard of many farmers spreading cheap coal fines on fields, supposedly to add carbon and minerals to the soil.

Let's not get lost here. I myself am only talking about a veggy garden. Nope, ash will never beat a good dose of lime on the big fields.

freetown fred wrote:Not only that, but I drink milk right from the cow, eggs right from home kept chickens & beef that is right out of the barn & butchered by yours truly. Only the youngest girl has 3 eyes & 8 fingers on one hand. I wonder???

Eyes on her hand could be a benefit!

Ain't that the truth.

Thanks just cant stop laughing i think i will dump some in. So you folks saw my daughter. she was waiving and looking at the same time

If you put coal ashes in your garden there is a 90% chance that you will die within 90 years of eating the vegetables from that garden.

freetown fred wrote:Not only that, but I drink milk right from the cow, eggs right from home kept chickens & beef that is right out of the barn & butchered by yours truly. Only the youngest girl has 3 eyes & 8 fingers on one hand. I wonder???

FF, you had me worried that you were hanging out in Ithaca until I read the part about butchering the beef and eating it.