Creative ideas for ash disposal in yard

[coaly]

I mix my ash with concrete and make figurines of our favorite Hearth.com moderators . . . you should see my collection.

If I shall die before I wake, I pray my ashes Jake shall take.

 

[stoveliker]

I just had to look this up, it seems the man is messing with our brains some sites say 6.5 to 7 others say 9 to 11, wait what?

blueberries predominantly grow in woods in heavy leaf or pine needle litter layers, which are acidic (see coaly), so blueberries prefer pH<7.

 

[Ashful]

I mix my ash with concrete and make figurines of our favorite Hearth.com moderators . . . you should see my collection.

We should compare photos.

Anyone with a lawn usually has a pile of topsoil somewhere, collected from edging gardens, redefining beds, digging holes to plant trees, fence posts, or a basketball backboard post for the kids. The stove ash pans get dumped into a 10 gallon galvanized trash can with lid, and then about once per month I dump that can onto this pile of topsoil, along with each week's coffee grounds and chicken turds. It all gets turned over before use in filling various holes and low spots around the yard, which amounts to a few times per year.

The size of the pile various throughout the year, and from year to year, I'd guess probably 1 - 3 yards. I've never checked the pH, it's really not homogenous enough to give a valid result without me doing more mixing of chicken crap than I'd care to try, but have always wondered how it averages. I do take a random sampling of soil from around the lawn each March, mix it, and have it tested. I manage to keep my lawn pretty close to the middle of the ideal 6.0 - 6.8 range, but only with the aid of some lime every few years, it will naturally head low if left on its own.

 

[Dix]

A little late to the party, but I'll play

Ashes get used for deicing the dirt driveway, and traction under the car tires on bad icy days, too. I don't do the walk ways with them, usually, but will if it's bad (icy).Hate tracking them BACK into the house.

I spread them into the flower beds during the winter, and mix them in with the leaves I've shredded during the fall with the riding mower, and directed into said flower beds through the mowers side chute. Works pretty well. I do admit to also adding horse manure to the beds, to helps speed things along.

Mix 'em in with the compost pile, to.

My next door neighbor (newly elected Chief of the fire dept), puts his in a Galvanized bucket, leaves it outside for a few days, then dumps it in his trash cans. But that's a whole 'nother thread

 

[Northern NH Mike]

Has anyone made soap after using the ash to make the lye? I have been researching it and it looks like a laborious process that can go wrong and you are left with a runny greasy mess.

 

[Ashful]

Did it once as a kid, either in summer camp at the museum or as a science class project. Can’t remember much from it today, other than yes… it was messy. I think the word we used at age 13 was “gross”.

 

[TradEddie]

I've been experimenting with the idea that Lye might help corrode old stumps, so just before rain or snow I dump the ash bucket on top of several old oak stumps. It does appear to work, but like any chemical, it will restrict natural microbial decomposition, so it remains to be seen whether in the run long it helps at all. One stump remains untouched as a control. I'll get back to you all in ten years or so...

Otherwise I spread it on my lawn, a little in the compost, and I stuff as much as possible down the gopher holes, or whatever burrows all through my yard.

TE

 

[RShim]

Small amounts in the compost pile are OK, but not much--will slow things down. I spread a thin layer of ash on my garden in early winter. I use the rest on my driveway when it is icy. There is so little ash left, even if I burn 4-5 cords, it just seems to disappear. As others have suggested, keeping it in a sealed metal container is a good way to make sure there aren't any live embers.

putting ash on my very steep concrete driveway for traction seems a very good idea indeed!

 

[peakbagger]

Be aware using ashes for traction is pretty effective but it tends to get tracked into the house. If the household is run with no shoes in the house, its not a major issue except for mess in the porch but if shoes are allowed in the house the ashes will get dragged in.

 

[coaly]

Be aware using ashes for traction is pretty effective but it tends to get tracked into the house. If the household is run with no shoes in the house, its not a major issue except for mess in the porch but if shoes are allowed in the house the ashes will get dragged in.

Can confirm. Gray mud tracked inside until spring!

 

[peakbagger]

I try to limit my use of ashes to areas a distance away from the back porch. As a bachelor I am guilty of not taking my shoes off inside the house all the time and it shows

 

[Ashful]

I dump my ashes onto my pile of spare topsoil, which includes dirt from edging gardens (good topsoil), from every hole I dig for planting trees (mostly clay, or mix of topsoil/clay/sand), my alarmingly high output of coffee grounds, the weekly chicken coop droppings, and dumped flower pots. It all gets turned over and mixed in, when used.

 

[stoveliker]

I've been mixing (w/ a mortar mixer for a handheld drill) my espresso grinds into ashes as well, before I spread it out.

 

[Eman85]

To make lye from ashes you need to drip or run water through the ashes. Then you can make soap and hominy. Instructions are in Foxfire books

 

[Ashful]

I've been mixing (w/ a mortar mixer for a handheld drill) my espresso grinds into ashes as well, before I spread it out.

That'll work. Of course, given my affinity for overkill, my mixer is just a little bit bigger than a hand drill:

 

[stoveliker]

I wonder now what your caffeine intake is ->😵‍💫->🤪

 

[Ashful]

lol... undoubtedly high, but that alone did not justify a front-end loader for turning the waste pile.

 

[bigealta]

I launch a 1-2 gallon metal ash bucket into the air at different spots on the lawn and in the beds. Let the wind spread it out.

 

[stoveliker]

I launch a 1-2 gallon metal ash bucket into the air at different spots on the lawn and in the beds. Let the wind spread it out.

Wearing a dust protection mask, I hope.

 

[bikedennis]

Since I live in the woods, I spread it anywhere away from the house.

 

[bigealta]

Wearing a dust protection mask, I hope.

i stand up wind and throw it up and away. dust /ash blows away without any human contact. Also hold breath during launch.

 

[Ashful]

I always have a pile of topsoil in a wooded area on the corner of my property, which I add to when edging or digging, and take from when filling holes. It varies from 1 up to maybe 3 cubic yards, depending on the projects du jour. All ashes from my stoves go into a metal trash can (~20 gallon?), and when that gets nearly full, I dump the cold ashes onto this soil pile. Next time I'm taking soil from the pile, they get turned into it.

This pile also receives all of our chicken crap and coffee grounds, among other things. A biological cornucopia, of sorts.

 

[begreen]

I think this may be real coal ash and maybe some lignite or peat ash? I wouldn't add coal ash to compost.