What Can I Do With Leftover Charcoal Ash?
Are you guilty of just throwing away the ashes and small bits of charcoal from when you clean your kamado or smoker? I can tell you there is a much better solution than just throwing this useful resource in the rubbish.
The leftover ash from your charcoal or wood fire contains a number of key nutrients that a lot of plants love. If like me you are growing tomatoes, chillies, garlic or onions just to name a few. Just sprinkle the spent ashes around your plants and you should see an improvement in growth, health and yield.
There is a caveat that you should not use ash around plants that love acidic soils. (Strawberries, blueberries, potatoes )
History of Potash
Quite literally the potash is derived from the fact that ashes were processed in a pot. Typically the manufacture of potash was a secondary process that generated income for the early pioneers across the world.
The land was cleared for agriculture and the trees were burnt, the ashes were collected and processed. The process consisted of the leaching of ashes until “Lye” was produced, then this was, in turn, boiled dry in a pot.
Historical uses for wood ash
I also often wonder how these discoveries came about. What was the process that led to the discovery?
Here is an awesome YouTube Video from Mark – Self Sufficient Me
Mark goes onto explain the benefits of spreading the ash around your garden.
Till next time Joe On !!
