Comments on: Wood Ash as an Organic Garden Fertilizer: Organic Vegetable Gardening Tips

By: Jeanne

Jeanne — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:00:53 +0000

Hi Liz, yes in our part of Virginia too, we need to do anything and everything to raise the soil pH. When I had ours tested before we moved in the pH was around 4. The lab actually called me to ask where the heck the soil was from (the lab was in NY where we lived). They had never seen soil like it thanks to all the pines grown here which just turned the soil to acid. Wood ash is great to raise pH quickly.

By: Liz

Liz — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:34:02 +0000

Wood Ash really is great for tomatoes and in this part of Virginia the soil wants to go back to acid really quickly so adding wood ash can be great. In the many years we have raised tomatoes one year stands out as having the absolute best tasting tomatoes and that was 1998. (Sounds like wine doesn't it!) We had put wood ashes out on our garden spot and our pH was up pretty high (closer to 7) in that area. I am convinced that the higher pH helped create those great tasting tomatoes. Was not a year with excess rain so some watering was necessary and that may have helped too. We did soil samples that year and VA Tech's soils lab said pH too high for vegetables. I just laughed. I have in the years since then seen many sources that say tomatoes like the soil a little closer to neutral than some other things. Never have trouble with blossom end rot either.

Enjoy your blog.

Liz

By: Jeanne

Jeanne — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:52:54 +0000

Interesting Ann and thanks for leaving a comment. I thought the rainforests were burned because it was easier than clearing away timber, except for special hardwoods like mahogany that can be sold. But adding the ash back into the soil makes sense.