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So following on from the post about wood ash and its uses, apart from adding to my new path..what uses would coal ash have?

I'll watch this with interest, as we have an ever-increasing mountain.

We're using it at the moment to make paths through the snow - it works really well.

And we also use it to make cinder paths through the garden and between raised beds.

But if anyone has any other ideas I'd be grateful too.

At the moment its keeping my dahlia tubers warm but am sure there must be other uses..I also have a fair sized vesuvius!!

Oh yes Susie I did similar to put the pole for my whirligig in - didn't have any sand and I wasn't prepared to drive 70 miles for some. That only used a bucketful though.

Think I'm going to go and rummage in some of my Gran's old make do and mend books and see what they did with coal ash. There must be SOMETHING

No one come up with any other uses yet then??

Must admit I forgot to look, will go and rummage

Coal ash may contain heavy metals and phenolic tar products. Old gasworks & coke plants are designated contaminated land when decommisssioned because of this.

Wood ash is good for the garden of course!

We rarely burn coal as not good for the old carbon footprint (75% carbon?) or the chimney (very acid) but when we need to it would be great to have some use for the ashes!

We don't burn coal either only wood but I have read it can cure black spot on roses.

Just looked it up in my Grandad's gardening dictionary (Blacks, 1927).

Unfortunately little use for coal ash recommended. Paths, although not too many of them, and also to plunge pot plants in during summer. And then only for the reason that it keeps worms out of the pots.

Wonder where they got rid of it all in those days?

I think cinder paths were very common, weren't they?

Have you read this ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100306/ap_ ... h_disposal
Not that you have that much coal ash to dispose of but it seems it's quite nasty stuff.

Very informative thread this so thanks everyone.

I'm kicking myself because all winter we've been combining coal and wood to get a longer burn in our open fireplace.
I've been bagging up the ash to use it on the garden but thankfully haven't used it yet.

I actually thought that the coal ash would be a useful waste product/fertilizer. My thinking was unresearched but I thought that coal was formed mainly by zillion years old trees primarily.

Won't be burning coal next winter!

Will have to source some better quality wood I guess and see if we can improve the draw or something.

You can put coal ash on your soil, but it needs to "weather" for a few months first. Bear in mind the acidity also (good for soft fruit plants, not so good for certain brassicas/other veg.)

I had forgotten all about this thread that I started, I do now have a mass of coal ash stored at the other end of the field so it is nicely weathered. Will try on soft fruit bushes as suggested. Many thanks.