Gardening Question of the Week: Can I Use Wood Ash in My Garden?

With all those chestnuts roasting on open fires, Alfred wrote in with a very timely question; “Can I put the ashes from my wood stove on my garden?” Ashes can be a good source of potassium, but more is not always better. How many of us even know if our soil needs more potassium? Other concerns with using wood ash around plants are its high pH and, more importantly, whether it contains any fuel or wood preservative. But it seems a shame to waste a free source of fertilizer if it can do some good. Here are some guidelines to judge when and how much wood ash is good for your garden.

Photo Provided by Hans Thoursie / Stock.xchng.