Anyone who knows me would agree that I am at best impulsive and at worst impatient. Therefore, removing the ashes from the log burner is always one of my biggest challenges. The usual scenario is that I want them out right now so that I can light a new fire, but they’re not yet cold, the tin ash bucket is already full and it’s raining so I don’t want to scurry around the property looking for somewhere invisible to empty it.
A couple of times I have even crossed my fingers and shovelled them into a Kleensak – with somewhat disturbing results. The good news is that it is perfectly okay to put them on the garden – with a few conditions, of course.
Unlike the decomposed remains of leaves, stems and other green plant parts, burned wood doesn’t contain nitrogen. But it does provide phosphorous, potassium, calcium, boron and other elements that growing plants need, and it’s also very alkaline and useful for raising the pH in gardens. You’ll need about twice as much of it as lime, but it will supply nutrients at the same time and, best of all, it’s free.
However, if your soil has a pH of seven or higher, it won’t be much help, so get a soil test done to see if it’ll benefit your garden. And even if it does, don’t use it around acid-loving plants (blueberries, azaleas) or on potatoes, which can get scab disease if the pH is too high. And remember to keep it away from green foliage and young seedlings – it can burn them, even if it’s stone cold.
But you can…
Sprinkle some ash on the lawn. Applied lightly and followed by a good watering, the ash will benefit the grass and also foster the growth of clover in the lawn – a soil-improver that provides nectar for bees. Of course, if you’re suddenly attracting lots of bees to the lawn, perhaps resist the temptation to cavort around in bare feet!
Make tea for your tomatoes. Put a couple of kilos of ashes in a permeable cloth bag, tie it closed and suspend it, like an oversized teabag, in a 180-litre rubbish bin of water. Let it steep for about four days, then ladle it out into a watering can and pour a cup or two around your tomato plants once a week as soon as they start to flower. Lots of vegetable crops can use a potassium boost, but especially tomatoes.
Spread ashes around the base of hardwood trees. The idea of returning the product to its source, albeit in a slightly different form, is appealing from an ecological point of view. It’s especially good for apples.
Pick and choose
I’m changing the old adage of “an apple a day…”. Frankly, unless it came off a tree and you actually saw it being picked, I wouldn’t recommend it at all. I can see why you might be tempted, though. Don’t they look gorgeous, those apples in the supermarket? Beautifully round, rosy red and shiny, they promise an explosion of crisp, tangy flavour. The reality is that they’ve probably been cool-stored for months, smothered with pesticides and given a jolly good waxing, and will be soft, floury and bland.
But there is a solution. Don’t buy them. Grow them. Plant three or four different varieties of apple trees (most apples are partially or wholly self-sterile so they require the pollen of another apple variety to set fruit) and you could be eating apples from December right through to May. Not this year, unless you know something I don’t, but possibly next.
Magical mosaic
Bare, waterlogged and weedy patches on the lawn are enough to start you thinking about asphalting the whole lot, but there are more attractive solutions. This is one of them. It’s a mosaic tablecloth, crafted to emulate the design of one of the original plates used in its creation. Each piece was made separately and then embedded into the grass. A matching vase at the centre is filled with ceramic lilies and roses.
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Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
