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Compost again
ian cameron dromore
Posts: 29
I make my own compost very well however I would like some thoughts on composting wood and coal ash from a multi fuel stove. Whilst the content is mostly wood ash i am concerned putting on the compost heap. I always have a large amount of various other compost material to mix it with.
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Uh oh. Why not coal ash?
It will burn your plants. Wood ash only.
Ash from firewood logs is great.
Ash from reclaimed timber which has been painted or treated in some way is not so good - like coal ash it can contaminate the soil.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I have just got hold of a washing machine drum (which I took out of my broken one). I was going to have a go at burning perennial weeds in it, and using the ash on the garden. I heard that all those holes make for great ventilation if the leaves are still damp, so it should be a good incinerator for the non-compostable organic bits (and, I fancied, a place to warm frozen hands on a cold day).
But might the metal coating on the drum contaminate the ash does anyone know? I wonder because it isn't something that was designed for burning stuff?
Yes, I think it might be stainless steel looking at it closely, because it is very shiny and doesn't have half as many scratches upon it as I would expect, considering the harsh usage it has already been through. Thanks Edd, It's all go for the perennial weed incineration and the warm hands after all!
I kept the fly wheel, I was going to use it as a very nifty thing for holding a tall plant support in place in the middle of a pot, but now you've shown me the picture! Wow, thanks for that!
Brilliant idea Dinah/Edd !
You can also buy an incinerator for £20 or so - Aldi had them last summer. Looks like (well, in fact IS) an old-fashioned galvanised iron dustbin with holes in it and a sloping lid with a chimney. Much thinner and less robust than the one I remember from my youth though.
Great use for an old drum though. Do dry the weeds out first or the smoke will be horrendous. Then get a good fire of dry twigs/prunings going before you put the weeds on top. Or just burn the twigs and put the weeds on the compost heap....
Yeah - it all needs to be dry.
I loathe Muscari with a vengeance. My mum has it here and it's impossible to get rid of.