[brucesgirl]

One of the men at work has an open fire at home, and has asked me if I wanted some of the ashes. I said yes - I always say yes when something is free.

What shall I do with them? Would they work as a slug-deterrent when I plant out next year?

[WG.]

Unless he burns only wood, I'd bin them or use them in the bottoms of drains.

Others will doubtless disagree quoting the effect on clay soils but I'd rather add sand / gypsum any day.

[ditchdigger]

One of the men at work has an open fire at home, and has asked me if I wanted some of the ashes. I said yes - I always say yes when something is free.

What shall I do with them? Would they work as a slug-deterrent when I plant out next year?

              learn to say no.

[Selkie]

we burn wood and turf on our stove but don't use the ashes for anything

[WG.]

we burn wood and turf on our stove but don't use the ashes for anything

they'd be good in thin layers in the compost bin.  Adds potash and reduces acidity.

[Selkie]

i never get round to it though, i think i did put some in last year (in a thin layer like you said) but  even if you did this you wouldn't need any quantity.

[brucesgirl]

I think I will dispose of them quietly into the woods.

Shh!

[WG.]

I think I will dispose of them quietly into the woods.

I hope you are a Licenced Waste Handler with your local Council  

[Grasshopper]

I wouldn't mind my ashes spread over the allotment, do you think it would do any good?

[brucesgirl]

You wouldn't care by then, surely.

[gobs]

Keep some for frosty days, good on snowy, icy pathways, etc.

[Oliveview]

This subject came up at home yesterday with a friend who was a champion veg grower in the UK (and a judge at the big veg shows) he said the cold ashes were excellent for the veg plot, just to scatter them about the plot.
Pamela (in Spain)

[WG.]

This subject came up at home yesterday with a friend who was a champion veg grower in the UK (and a judge at the big veg shows) he said the cold ashes were excellent for the veg plot, just to scatter them about the plot.

Sorry, not for me.  I've read about some of the extraordinary things people do to their gardens in order to produce show vegetables.

[Rob the rake]

I've found that the best way to use wood ashes is to mix them with poultry manure to make a good general fertiliser ,which can be applied in a similar way to pelletised chicken manure. The ashes make up for the deficiency in potash.

[WG.]

Wood ashes are great, so too peat ashes.  Brucesgirl was asking (I think) about ash from a coal fire.