Be Careful Adding Wood Ash to the Garden 🔥Fire & Hard Lesson Learned...
Gardeners Beware!
Many gardeners are aware of the benefits of using wood ash in the garden. It can be a great source of potash for plants, among numerous other benefits, but it can also cause problems. Maybe this seems like common sense, but I learned that doesn't mean it won't happen.
Wood ash in the garden has many benefits, so I do not want to scare people away from using it, but I do want to bring awareness to irresponsible use and the damage it can cause.
Wood ash is primarily composed of calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium, but also contains trace amounts of iron, manganese, sodium, boron, zinc, copper, and molybdenum. Because it’s created through the combustion of plant materials, it holds many of the elements needed to support new growth and has long been used by gardeners and farmers as a natural soil amendment. If wood ash was packaged and marketed at garden supply stores, it would have an N-P-K value of 0-1-3. source
🔥Let's Talk About Fire🔥
Make Sure the Ash Is Extinguished BEFORE Adding to Your Garden
A few years ago, my parent's neighbor was cleaning out his woodstove and saving the ash in a metal can. He often used it in his garden beds to improve the soil quality. This one particular time, he took the can of ash (which he thought to be completely extinguished) and spread it in his garden. It was nearly winter time, so there was no shortage of dry leaves and brush through the garden bed. His garden bed also happened to be along the fence that divides his property from my parent's property.
That area of the yard is where my parents have two sheds, an enclosed trailer and also where I stored many landscaping tools of mine (I was renting a place that did not have room for it). The neighbor also had a shed with a custom Harley Davidson Motorcycle and many other personal items within it. Well... I got a call one day and came over to this:
This is taken from my parent's property, looking towards where the neighbor's $30k custom Harley once sat in a shed that used to be there. THANKFULLY no one was hurt.
I Learned A Few Hard Lessons
- Don't store everything you own in one area - it is subject to entire loss in one swift motion.
- Fire is devastating - this accident made my life very difficult for a long time.
- Common sense isn't common and neither is fire safety, apparently.
- Ash is NOT always great for the garden - if it ends with fire, it's not good.
Fire Has NO Feelings and Does NOT Care About Yours
Ironically, we had a fire hydrant from the restoration of Baltimore City many years ago, given to us by my great uncle. It survived!
The ladders, rims and tires, trailers, dollies, truck cap, go-kart, and basically everything else wasn't as lucky. The fire hydrant was unharmed.
Funny thing - I got 3 identical fortunes in my fortune cookies - I assume it was referring to Good Luck "tobay", but... 😆
Final Thoughts for My Woodburing, Ash-using, Steemit-Gardening Friends
Always keep one of these handy!
Always be sure your extinguisher is full and everyone in your home knows how to use it
Be wise if using wood ash in the garden because accidents like this are more common than you think.
STAY SAFE MY STEEMIT FRIENDS!
If you would kindly resteem this, I would appreciate it! This could save many people the misfortune and loss that accidental fires can cause. Thank YOU.
If you would kindly resteem this, I would appreciate it! This could save many people the misfortune and loss that accidental fires can cause. Thank YOU.
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STOP@grow-pro good safety tips and reminders, thanks for sharing.
Thank you, @ronmamita. I hope that others might learn, vicariously, from my misfortune. Accidents happen, but many can be prevented.
Great post, I've started adding wood ash and biochar to my compost pile this year. It should be great fuel for my plants next spring!
What is biochar? Just curious, never heard that term before.
If you stop the coals from completely becoming ash it's called biochar. You can spray some water on the coals after your wood has burnt down and it will stay like a charcoal. It's supposed to have a lot of benefits for the soil too along with the ash.
Yes, just be sure that you are using it for alkaline or ph neutral plants, not acid loving plants. Calcium raises the ph in soil slowly and wood ash is alkaline. It should not be used in compost too heavily because it can disrupt the microbial activity. Also, avoid using with nitrogen fertilizers like urea because it creates ammonia gas. 😉 Biochar is great for many plants in the garden and you will find many companies using it in bagged soil. Thanks for sharing @rakkasan84 and great tip:
Just be sure to use hardwoods - they contain as much as 5x more nutrients than soft woods. Oak & maple work great, but I recommend readers avoid using chemically treated wood like pallets and construction debris.
Indeed. We have a very low pH soil here around 5.3 and I'm working to raise it to around 6.0 in the garden to grow a wider variety. Fortunately we have a lot of oak and hickory here.
That's perfect! In that application, it'll work great. Many fruiting plants will enjoy the potash and phosphorous added. I have to amend my soil down a bit, I'm totally neutral here at 7. My well water is slightly acidic (6.8), so I do not amend much unless I notice nutrient lockout/deficiencies. I'm a tomato grower, so 6.2 is where I would prefer to have the soil. But.. I do my best with what I've got 😋
You can also make biochar by heating the wood in an anaerobic environment -- there are instructions on the net about making biochar crucibles from metal cans.
I used to have a neighbor who did this all year and I would see the smoldering embers. Or he would have a controlled burn and sometimes it got a little too much. This is a lesson learned the hard way.
Unfortunately, many of us will require the hard lesson learned over taking the easy advice, @goldendawne. I assumed the neighbor would take precaution while spreading hot ash - lesson learned..haha It is just material possessions that can be replaced and thankfully no one was hurt. That propane tank could've been very bad - a fire could've turned into an explosion! 😬🔥
Oh my! Yes it could have.
Some of life's most costly lessons are only learned by doing, mistakes or stubbornness. Luckily no one was hurt. So many hazards and flammables in gardening and on farms.
I'm very much a 'hard lesson learner' myself. I've learned a lot from my failures and misfortunes. And stubbornness - yea that's me, too! 😆
I've posted about fire extinguishers in the past. They are not a cure all, but you had better have them anyway. I'd rather take my chances with a fire extinguisher than not have one. All of the bedrooms in my house have one to help fight the way out of a burning house. The kitchen has them too to put out cooking fires. I also keep one near my kerosene heaters.
As a teenager I almost burned down our house with a single flick of a lighter. I was bored and not paying attention in the bottom bunk bed. A string from the top bunk box spring was hanging down. Without even thinking about it, I lit the string. To my shock, it quickly flamed up! The flame then shot up into the bottom of the box, and the entire thing was engulfed in seconds.
My brother was on the top bunk, so he jumped off after hearing my exclamations. We quickly grabbed the burning mattress and ran out of the house with it. It was on fire the entire time too. Luckily, we managed to get it outside, and the house was saved. Boy, was that a hard thing to explain to my mother later that day! haha
Fire is definitely not forgiving. It can quickly spread too. A very minor mistake can easily become a complete disaster, and people can easily be burned, scarred for life, or killed from it as well. I have a huge respect for fire because of my experiences with it.
Thanks for sharing your story about it. People should definitely be more cautious. Always remember too that the fire department will not get there in time in most cases. You have to save yourself and your loved ones. The fire department will often not even save your house. By the time they get there, it will most likely be destroyed already.
Wow, @finnian! That is one way to find respect for fire - close call! I can only imagine that went over well with Mom..LOL We often realize the true power of flame when it engulfs something we hadn't intended it to. I think many of us (at one time or another) have had a lighter and thought - hmm, I'll light this string on fire. Whether a strand of a cotton sock or thread dangling before you from the mattress above - it just seems harmless at the time. In your case, you found out how dangerous it can be. It's a good thing you and your brother acted swiftly because it does not take long to become out of control!
And yes, it does take time for the fire department to arrive, so swift action is vital. I had a friend who stopped to meet us for dinner at a local restaurant. He parked his plow truck outside (it was winter time) and came in to meet us. Minutes later, someone came rushing in and said there is a truck on fire. His entire truck burned to nothing in 10 minutes and after that, the fire department showed up. We were right in the middle of two fire departments - less than 3 miles away from either of them - literally right between them. We were even on the same road as one of the fire departments - one that recently had a multi-million dollar expansion. We ended up putting the fire out ourselves with fire extinguishers and shoving snow into the fire. A little ice on the ground made it difficult for responders to get to us.
Sometimes the only thing that can keep a fire from becoming greatly disastrous is swift action by neighbors, friends, and passers by. Knowing how to act in an immediate situation like that is vital.
Thankfully, my situation just cost me material goods. It made my work much harder for a bit, but I managed through it. I wasted no time cleaning up the damage and moving forward. This was that same week - I forgot to add this in the post:
The tree ended becoming firewood, unfortunately, but I plant them frequently to make up for that
This is another good use of the Cell 411 app too. Get your neighbors in your network, and you can notify them quickly. They will respond way more quickly than 911.
Yes! Your immediate network is your only lifeline in many situations. That's an awesome app. I believe I remember we talked about it some time ago, possibly when it was in concept phase still. I assume it's out for android/iPhone?
I am always home, so I rarely carry my phone. I'm terrible with that, people get on my ass about it..a lot..lol
I had a grill fire earlier this year due to my negligence and my neighbor's came running over to bang on the door. I had walked inside and got side tracked with diaper changing one as my wife bathed the other. A few minutes and we had a fire to put out. I keep the grill in the open, away from the house, but fire where you do not want it is never good. If not for my neighbor's quick action, it could have been much worse. I love my neighbors!
I suppose having the app and setting it up won't hurt. Have to start bringing my phone along, too. I just need a belt clip because I can't stand carrying a phone in my pocket. I have dialed 911 accidentally thanks to the phone making only emergency calls on lock screen..LOL They respond quickly to butt-dials.. 911 called me back!😋
I'm surprised at how many people still use grills on decks. It's a disaster waiting to happen. "It's propane, so it's safe." Uhm, nope. See that grease? Knock the grill over, and see what happens... haha
Agreed! I push mine out into the driveway where it's about 20'+ from the house. My whole grill flared up from the grease and it was a pretty big fire on its own! Older decks that have been treated heavily over the years with chemicals and now are dried out like drift wood - that really is a disaster waiting to happen.
I have a grill that has both charcoal and propane because honestly, cooking with gas sort of scares me. And because there's nothing like charcoal grilling! I've seen some crazy mishaps with fires in my time. But, I've been burned & learned 🔥😆🔥
When I tell people about their home fire insurance and using a grill on their deck, they look at me as if I am an alien. /sigh Lots of people are... hopeless.
That's something you find out the hard way - "sorry, that's not covered"
Insurance companies love when people deep fry frozen turkeys on their deck.. Most companies cover 'acts of God', but not 'acts of stupidity'..lol
I left a grill unattended and it caught on fire. I typically NEVER do that, but it figures that the one exception to my own rule almost caused a grill fire. It really only takes once. Man, I scared the crap outta myself so bad I don't think I'll ever do it again.
It sounds like you guys have the space and place to do it. Do you have a "fire pit" there for hanging out around an outside fire?
I have a few areas for fire, but mostly for utility. I'd love to have a nice fire ring and lounge area in the near future. I have always enjoyed sitting by a fire, but haven't don't much of that since we moved to this place.
I have a 'burn pile' (now) big enough to probably be seen from space if I lit it 😆. You could say it came with the house.. I've just added to it. The dimensions of this pile are 15' diameter and about 8' high. Needless to say it is a far away from the house. My neighbors have a great setup and I am going to make a very nice setup once I knock some tasks off the priority list. I have so much to do around this place, we haven't even thought of entertaining guests for parties or anything yet. This house was in major need of repair when we bought it a year ago and is a slow process - my father and I have done all the work. He works full time and I work double full time..lol I wanted a fixer upper and I got it!
I have a few 55 gallon drums, cut in half, with holes drilled all around it. I use these to burn sticks that drop - which is a never ending endeavor with all the massive maple trees that 'self-prune'. Speaking of, we just had a wicked storm last night - it'll be a trailer load to pick up today.
I also have a barrel that I burn cherry woods and apple wood - I make my own hardwood charcoal. My uncle got me started with that and I haven't bought charcoal since last year.
We put our ash from the wood burning stove in a metal bucket with a lid outside. I won't spread it in the pasture for at least 3 days.
Thanks for this reminder. When I lived in town, I had a neighbor put his charcoals from his grill into his trashcan. He thought they weren't hot anymore. A neighbor thankfully rushed over with a hose to put out his garbage. I wasn't home at the time but little damage was seen, thankfully.
I am sorry very that so much was ruined in this fire. Scary stuff fire can be.
Great way to do it, @yoginiofoz. Suffocate the embers - a metal can with a lid is also what I use. It looks like a mini metal trash can that you'd expect Oscar from Sesame Street to live in..haha
You're lucky to have great neighbors! Garbage cans are perfect fire starters and plastic trash bins will turn into a river of flames that can spread fire rapidly. Very scary stuff, indeed. Fire is something to respect. Material possession can be replaced, but human life cannot.
Amen!
Wow. That's hard lesson to learn. We all need to remember to be careful when handling or disposing of wood ashes. When we have ocassion to use wood ashes we dig them into the soil. Tht ay if there are the ocassional hot ash, it's been buried and hopefully won't cause harm. Having fire extinguishers in easy accessable places is a really good idea.
Yes, it can be a tough lesson learned, @cecicastor. It won't hurt to spray down the soil with water, whenever adding ash to it. Best to be safe, not sorry. 90% of fires are caused by humans.
Everyone should be respected as an individual, but no one idolized.
- Albert Einstein
That's oddly ironic.. Especially considering it comes from one of the most idolized men in the world.. 😆