"David (Normandy)" wrote in message
...

"Leslie" wrote in message
...
Can anyone give some information on the benefits or otherwise of
spreading soot on the veg. patch.

Other questions spring to mind, do you leave it in a pile for some time
and what sort of measurement per square yard

TIA ......................Leslie

I'd be a bit cautious with soot or ashes - depends what has been burned to
get it. If it is from coal it can contain lots of carcinogens and heavy
metals which are not good for the veg plot and the resulting veg dangerous
to eat.

In fact I read an article a few months ago, forgotten most of the details
but apparently someone had been putting coal soot onto a garden for many
years and this led to so much heavy metals in the soil, the garden ended
up being condemned by the local authority or another body as a toxic waste
hazard!

My father always put soot (from an open coal fire) on the garden after it
had been left in the open for some time so that soluble salts leached out.
It darkens the soil and so it gets warmer more quickly. My father grew
magnificent vegetables. I used soot on our garden (from an open coal fire)
until we had to use gas. The garden was better in the early days than in the
later ones.

The story you read sounds as though it were found in a sensational red top,
professional gardeners still recommend the use of leached soot and leached
ash.

Mary