"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
...
"lb" wrote in message
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message

just wondering if the ashes and charcoal are ok for the compost or
whether i'm better off just putting them in the bin.

Ashes from a wood fire are, in the garden, effectivley the same as
lime.

Or potash?

Yes but I think it's main use might be because it is alkaline (at least
that
is how I use wood ash).

In general terms I understand it takes roughly twice the amount of wood ash
as it does to agricultural lime to produce the same shift in ph levels. This
has something to do with the calcium carbonate content. If ag lime is base
100 wood ash is somewhere around 50%. Wood ash, I have read somewhere, is
also likely to cause a more rapid change in ph levels than ag lime. I guess
that may be due to the finer grade of the ash and therefore quicker to break
down and react than ag lime.
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/cses/452-510/452-510.html

rob