Disposal or use of Ashes - ideas?

[Paul in Rockwall TX]

My new oven is great - starting to accumulate some ash. Are ashes any good for anything? Is there any harm to dispersing them in the yard? Or do they just need to be thrown in the trash?

any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

[Tman1]

I thought i heard that ash is a component of homemade soap?

[dmun]

Cold ashes are lightweight and bag up easily, for handy disposal. Water run through them is pretty alkaline, so you could use them as a soil treatment for acid soil. What else? Soap? Food grade lye for pretzel boiling? The list is pretty short.

[brickie in oz]

I put them in the compost bin.

[david s]

I also compost them. As wood ash is alkaline it will balance material like a large amount of rotting leaves which are acidic. Don't put in too much ash though. Because my oven is small I sometimes remove 1/2 the coals to give me more room. For safety and the preservation of the zinc coating on my bucket, I dump the coals into 1/2 bucket of water. The unburnt charcoal also goes into the compost which is particularly good for the soil.

[Paul in Rockwall TX]

Thanks for the composting advice. Composting has been on my list of things to do, just haven't gotten to it (what with building a wfo and all). I have lot's of rotting leaves. Also bermuda grass clippings. I assume that grass is acidic as well as it decomposes?

A strictly composting question: We have alot of racoons, possums, armadillos (and rabbits and mice), so I've been a little concerned about composting food waste. Properly done, does a compost pile that includes kitchen waste still attract critters?

[david s]

Yes probably, but you can cover it.

[GianniFocaccia]

Vegetative kitchen waste is fine for compost piles. Oils, fats, bones are not.

[azpizzanut]

Hi Paul,

There is a book called "The Wonders of Wood Ash" by Judith James that should give you some ideas on how to use your wood ash.

Cheers,

[heliman]

I have a small "wheelie bin" that I wheel up to the WFO and remove the ash with a peel. It's done its job...