If you have a wood stove, or burn your tree trimmings in spring, you may have a lot of wood ash.

Wood ash is a good source of potassium and other minerals that can benefit your garden plants. However, you should use precaution when applying wood ash to the garden. Excessive use may do harm to the fertility of your garden soil

Wood ash is very alkaline. It can raise the soil pH significantly. So before applying any wood ash to the soil, get a soil test. A pH of 6.5 is optimal for most veggies.

Only add wood ash to acid soils with a pH lower than 6.5 as well as low potassium level. Do not add more than 25 pounds of wood ash per 1,000 square feet each year.

Do a soil test again before you plan to add more wood ash next time.

Source: MotherEarthNews.com