[N.WalesIdealist]

Not sure if this is in the right place but...

I've been cutting down the hawthorn tree boundary around the bottom of my garden and I'm planning on having a bonfire to get rid of all the rubbish (there is an awful lot, 3 or 4 skip loads at least).

Now then, if I were have the fire, what would be the effect on the ground beneath it, with a view to planting veg/other plants?

The ultimate aim, once the bottom of the garden is clear is to completely redesign it into a functioning market garden and possibly a goat/pig pen.  I'm wondering if I'll still be able to grow stuff if I have a fire there, or whether I'll have to saw everything and lug it up the slop to where we normally have fires.

Thanks!

[Gandan57]

You`ve nothing to worry about, nothing detrimental will happen to the soil from a wood bonfire.
You will end up with a nice pile of ash which can be spread all over the plot, but especially around fruit bushes and where you intend to grow brassicas as it contains calcium carbonate and magnesium.

[solway cropper]

Hawthorn is a good burning wood once it's dried out. Do you have an open fire in the house?

As Gandan says, the wood ash is good for certain crops but I'd advise against using it on land where potatoes will be growing as its alkalinity is liable to cause scab.

[N.WalesIdealist]

Hawthorn is a good burning wood once it's dried out. Do you have an open fire in the house?

As Gandan says, the wood ash is good for certain crops but I'd advise against using it on land where potatoes will be growing as its alkalinity is liable to cause scab.

We do, but we use coal and only a few times a year, it's an old house with thick walls so we manage to stay warm!  That said I think I might put some aside for a Christmas day treat!