Forty Creative and Surprising Ways to Utilize Wood Ash Around Your Household and Garden
Wood Ash: The Homesteader's Swiss Army Knife
Back in the day, our humble dwelling was heated by a trusty wood-burning stove. As we rekindle the flame and dive into season-long wood-powered heating, I figured it's high time to find some useful, modern applications for the mounting wood ash piles. After all, even though our ancestors used it for everything from cooking to pest control, there's gotta be more we can do with it in this day and age.
From the old days to the new homestead, wood ash has been a staple around the homestead. And guess what? It's still got plenty to offer! So, say goodbye to your ash being nothing more than a waste product. Instead, let's ensure it's put to good use and doesn't simply fade into obscurity.
Garden Goldmine
Before we jump in, a friendly reminder: use common sense. Make sure the ash is cool, or else you could end up with hot coals lurking in your ashes. Wood ash is caustic, so handle it with care, and be mindful of your breath while working with it - it'll create dust you don't want to inhale, so toss on a mask if needed.
Wood Ash Fertilizer
Wood ash is a low-grade fertilizer with beneficial nutrients like calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium. It's not exactly bursting with nutrients, containing around 4% potassium and less than 2% of the others, but it's something. If you want to keep those trace elements, stash it in a safe spot to protect it from the elements. Apply it sparingly around plants that need a nutrient boost, but mind the pH levels - too much could throw off your soil balance. Lennies with a penchant for acid-loving plants like blueberries and potatoes might want to pass on this option.
Liming Agent
Raise your soil pH levels without breaking the bank by using wood ash as a liming agent. Commercial lime products and wood ash both contain calcium carbonate, but ground lime requires smaller amounts and takes six months to a year to work. Wood ash, being water-soluble, kicks in almost instantaneously. Typically, you'll need 2-4 times the amount of wood ash to increase soil pH compared to ground lime, so be mindful of your application rate. Before you decide to lime, test your soil. That way, you'll know the current pH level, as well as the makeup of your soil to help determine the application rate to meet your desired target level.
The Many Faces of Wood Ash
Wood ash offers a versatile set of uses for gardeners and homesteaders alike, helping you maintain your garden, reign in pests, boost compost, and more.
Maintain Your Garden
- Cure Blossom End Rot: Blossom end rot is no fun, mostly caused by a calcium deficiency in plants, but with added wood ash, you can help ensure your plants get the calcium they crave for healthy, happy fruits. Simply add some ash to your planting hole when planting tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, or squash.
- Prevent Frost Damage: Wood ash can help protect your crops from frost. Simply dust them with ash before a light frost to help insulate them from the cold's icy bite.
- Repel Slugs: Tired of slugs munching on your veggies? Wood ash will irritate their slimy bodies, driving them away from your plants.
Around the Homestead
From battling winter's frosty grasp to cleaning up oil spills, wood ash has a multitude of uses.
- Pet Safe Ice Melt: While not quite as effective as commercial ice melts, wood ash can help melt ice and provide traction. For added safety, remember to clean up and put on your shoes before you traipse into the house.
- Clean Up Oil Spills: Wood ash is a handy clean-up tool, helping absorb those pesky oil spills on your garage floor.
- Hide Concrete Stains: If you're dealing with oil stains on your pavement, wood ash can help mask those stains by its similar color. Simply pour it on the stain and scuff it in.
- Winter Crop Storage: Wood ash is an excellent insulator, helping keep your crops cool and dry during winter storage. Whether you're storing potatoes or building a mini root cellar, wood ash has got your back!
- Deter Insects: Protect your stored food and seeds from bugs and moisture by sprinkling them with wood ash.
- Move Ants: Need to bid adieu to ants without causing them harm? Send them packing by placing wood ash on top of their anthills.
- Fire Extinguisher: In a pinch, use wood ash to put out fires by smothering the flames. Store buckets of it near areas where fires might start.
- Make Soap: Dreaming of self-sufficiency? Learn to make your own soap by utilizing wood ash to create lye! The ancient art of soap-making will elevate your homesteading skills.
- Deter Moles: Moles can wreak havoc on your garden. Fill their tunnels with wood ash, and they'll get the message and scuttle off to bother someone else.
- Protect Fencing: Wood ash can help wooden fence posts endure the test of time by protecting them from bacteria, fungus, and pesky critters.
- Make Ash Glaze: Embrace your inner potter with a beautiful wood ash glaze. This glaze creates a beautiful brown to green color.
- Make Chinking: Cheap and easy, old-fashioned chinking can fill gaps in your log home or any structure.
Wood Ash Around the House
From cleaning tasks to deodorizers, wood ash finds its home in the most unsuspecting places.
- Wood Stove Glass Cleaner: Wait until your wood stove has cooled down, create an abrasive paste with water and ash, and gently rub away that stubborn creosote buildup.
- Oven Cleaner: Need a touch-up on your oven? Wood ash can save the day with its cleaning power, particularly on those stubborn stains.
- Clean Dishes: Ash's cleaning prowess doesn't stop at glass - use it to scrub your dishes clean and rinse as normal.
- Refrigerator Deodorizer: Transform your fridge heaven with wood ash's deodorizing powers. Ditch the grocery store for a homemade deodorizer.
- Dessicant: Use charcoal pieces and wood ash to soak up excess moisture in your musty basement.
- Repel Mice: Sprinkle wood ash in areas where you don't want mice, creating an unwelcome barrier for these rodents.
- Repel Cockroaches: Give your home a squeaky clean feeling by deterring cockroaches with wood ash.
- Repel Moths: Wave goodbye to holes in your clothing and yarn by dusting them with wood ash. Moths will stay far away.
- Make Sealant/Tar: Make potato patch-friendly tar by combining pine sap from pine trees and wood ash.
- Teeth Whitening Toothpaste: Achieve beautiful, pearly whites with a natural toothpaste made with wood ash and water. Proceed with caution, as it's abrasive and should only be used sparingly.
- Polish Silver: Brighten those tarnished silver treasures with a simple ash paste.
- Homemade Bleach: Create a simple, homemade bleach-like solution with lye water. Follow safety precautions, as lye is caustic.
- Wound Treatment: Speed up the healing process of small wounds with a wood ash application. Apply it to stem bleeding and fight off potential infections.
Pets and Livestock
- Prevent Algae in Bottles & Waterers: Keep those rabbit bottles and chicken waterers spick-and-span by adding chunks of charcoal from your wood ash.
- Slow Algae in Duck Pools & Ponds: Help combat unsightly algae growth in your ducks' pools or geese' ponds.
- Chicken Dust Bath: Give your chickens the gift of a clean coat with a dust bath filled with wood ash. It helps ward off pests like fleas, lice, and mites.
- Pet & Livestock Pest Control: Not just for chickens, wood ash acts as a deterrent for bugs on animals of all shapes and sizes.
- De-skunk Pets: Blech! Skunks got the better of your pet? Wood ash to the rescue! Sprinkle your pet with ash, let them sit outside for a couple of hours, and then give them a good bath. Avoid the pet store and the stinky scent with ease.
- Deodorize Chicken Coop: Cut back on those chicken coop odors by placing a layer of wood ash under the bedding. If you're a fan of the deep litter method, consider adding a nice, thick layer of ash with charcoal on the bottom of the coop.
- Feed Supplement: Improve egg shell production and boost your chickens' calcium intake by adding a small amount of ash to their feed. Around 1% is plenty.
- Natural Quickstop and Wound Treatment: Plug up those wounds and stop bleeding in its tracks with wood ash. It'll also help prevent infections, making it a handy tool for nail trims.
In the realm of homesteading, wood ash proves its versatility, playing a significant role in both food-and-drink and home-and-garden lifestyle. For instance, use wood ash as a low-grade fertilizer with nutrients like calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium, or employ it as a liming agent to raise soil pH levels. Moreover, get creative with your cooking by applying wood ash as a natural quickstop and wound treatment or exploring the ancient art of soap-making using it to create lye. Around the homestead, employ wood ash in various ways, from battling pests to improving your pet's health, demonstrating its all-encompassing homesteader's Swiss Army knife nature.
