The only source of heat in our house is our wood stove. This means we burn a lot of wood and produce a lot of ashes throughout a long, cold Montana winter. I’ve been thinking about ways we can use our ashes instead of just disposing them in the trash after they cool off. Last year I read an article about using wood stove ashes to make lye, which can be used to make soap. This is on our to-do list this winter!
But what other uses are there for ashes? Can they be used in a garden? Can they be composted? I’ve been so busy filling orders in our Etsy shop that I haven’t had much free time to research things like this. Then I was perusing last week’s edition of Green Thumb Thursday and this post caught my eye and I had to pick it for this week’s Featured Post:
Garden Tips A to Z: Ashes from Katie’s Farm.
I immediately clicked on it and read some great tips on using ashes. The best thing I learned? They work great as a barrier around plants to keep slugs away. Last year at our old house, the slug problem was out of control. I moved a lot of the perennial plants and bushes to our new homestead this fall and worried I may be bringing some of those pests along. Well if I did, now I know an easy way to protect my plants from them!
If you were the featured post, you’ve been pinned on our Gardening Pinterest Board. Also feel free to grab the “featured” button below!
Are you ready for this week’s edition of Green Thumb Thursday? I’m excited to see all the wonderful gardening posts shared this week!
The co-hosts of this weekly Green Thumb Thursday link up are:
- The Homestead Bloggers Network
- Untrained Housewife
- Northern Homestead
- Homestead Lady
- Montana Homesteader
This post shared on: Frugal Days Sustainable Ways,
Thanks so much for featuring my post on using ashes in the garden!! I am so happy you enjoyed my post and can use some of the tips. Using ashes as a slug deterrent came from my great-grandmother who used them in her garden at her rustic upstate New York cottage (think outhouse and bathing in the rain). Best wishes for a wonderful (slug-free) garden this year! – Katie
I love that the tip came from your great grandmother! I’m HOPING we don’t have slug issues this year, but if we do I’m definitely trying this out!