Last winter I needed to empty my ash bucket and didn’t feel like driving to my usual dumping area, so I just kinda slung the can across some snow covered grass that isn’t really a lawn, just a grassy area in my back lot near my stacks. This spring the area immediately surrounding the thicker pile of ash was much greener and had thicker blades of grass. So my question is … does anyone have an efficient way of scattering their ashes somewhat evenly and without to much mess.? A fertilizer spreader seems like the simple answer but wouldn’t handle the unburnt coals and “clinkers”. Perhaps I’ll just use my ash shovel and use it to sling them around in smaller quantities so I don’t get the piles that choke out the grass. It definitely made a difference where I did it and it is a pretty large area that I would like to improve the looks of but I’m not about to invest that much $$$ in fertilizer. Ashes are free
Perhaps rake them off a little after slinging? Maybe a empty bleach bottle type scoop, or a coffee can? For the number of times i was out spreading, i wasn't too picky about where it went. 'Course, this was garden and would be tilled in the spring. Sca
We have a large copper kettle used for ash removal. When it's wet or good snow cover I take the bucket for a walk into the wind and shake it out on the grass or in the pasture.
I broadcast wood ashes using a long handled shovel. If it looks like some of it ends up in too much of a pile, a quick raking or leaf blower, deals with it, It works in a similar fashion that lime does.
My method isn’t efficient but it gets the coals out. I use a hand sifter and walk around the yard spreading the ashes.. after sifting, the coals and clinkers go in a paper shopping bag and to the transfer station.. I don’t think I have any pics..
If I might add, keep them away from plants that like acidic soil, as mentioned, it’s like adding lime and will raise the pH..
You could use a colander from the dollar store to sift real quick into a 5 gal. Then toss them in the fertilizer spreader.
My media sifter for the reloading bench does double duty and I use that to sift I sift the big coals out. It's something like this from www.midwayusa.com Drop the ashes into 5-gallon buckets or paper shopping bags & spread by hand. I've read that charcoal is good for soaking up nutrients, then releasing them slowly. At first, I tried working the charcoal that I sorted out into my gardens, but the stuff is light & works it way up to the top. Then I picked up an old hand driven meat grinder to grind the stuff up, and run the charcoal through that when I'm feeling ambitious. Turns the stuff into what almost feels like printer toner. I can't quantify an improvement in my poor soil, but it makes the dirt look more like dirt, and less like sand.
So I haven't come up with a tactful way to bring this up, but scattering ashes really makes me think of dear aunt nellie, sitting on the mantle. In which case a gentle shake might work well, or a solid boot around the yard, depending on how one feels about the situation. Sca
My Dad's wife just scattered his ashes at their favorite spot a few days ago, afraid that's what I thought at first too.
I too thought of a specific loved one. My wood ashes get flung into the field behind my property, in a way that spreads them out so there’s never any signs that I’ve done it. Landowner wouldn’t care anyway.
