If you're like me you run your fireplace or wood stove almost non-stop all Winter. It's not our sole source of heat, but we take advantage of it as much as possible during the Winter. We've got an endless supply of fallen trees on our property that will heat our house for decades.

We keep a 5 gallon bucket on our back porch to fill up with the leftover wood ash when we clean it out. Luckily, your wood's job isn't done yet! First, your wood logs will heat your house, and when it's done, it can serve a second use! I love finding second, and sometime, third uses for things around the homestead!

Dust Bath For Your Chickens

In the Winter, things tend to be cold and wet for weeks or months at a time, which means your chickens are probably desperate for a dust bath. Dust baths are essential to a chicken's health to avoid mites and fleas, etc. In addition to bathing in it, chickens can also eat the wood ash to get extra calcium and grit. However, because it can burn, make sure to mix it with builder's sand, soil and diatomaceous earth!

Raise the pH in Your Garden

Before you add wood ash to your garden, make sure you test it to know where your starting pH is. If you have a pH of 7 or lower, you can sprinkle a little wood ash on top. Wood ash is very alkalilne, so only use it if your soil is acidic. But err on the side of caution - the more the pH rises above 7, the less potassium, phosphorus and manganese become available to your plants.

However, in addition to changing the pH of your soil, it will also add calcium and potassium in a ratio of about 0-1-3 (N-P-K)

To Kill Weeds

Again, be careful with it and use it only where you want to kill EVERYTHING, like fence lines, or for invasive species.

As a De-Icer

It works great as a de-icer on your walkways or driveways

To Deter Pests

Add it to mole or mouse holes to encourage them to relocate. You can also add it to ant mounds to encourage them to leave.

Cleaner

A little hair of the dog, wood ash mixed with just a bit of water to make a paste is actually an amazing cleaner for sooty fireplaces! You can also use it to polish silver or scrub brick.

Fence Posts

Add a little wood ash to your fence post holes to repel termites.

Make Pitch

Harvest some pine sap and mix with very fine wood ash and water, heating it over low heat until a cake-batter consistency. You can use this as a wood glue or sealant but use it while it's still hot.

Make Soap

While I haven't personally done this yet (it's on my homesteading to-do list!) you can use wood ash to make lye to make old fashioned soap.

Preserve Tomatoes

Also, if your wood ash lasts long enough, you can store fresh tomatoes in your bucket of wood ash for months after harvest.

Did I miss anything? What do you do with your wood ash?