http://www.tjsgardeningworks.space/

TJs gardening Works, Naracoorte (2026)

30/08/2026

A Little Girl, a Cat and a Frog-A Childhood Backyard Story
that I can’t resist sharing because there’s a lesson from the garden in it for us all.

The beginning of my week saw me put on my 'Nanny hat' to go watch my little three-year-old granddaughter Ivy. As the weather was so nice I took her outside for some sunshine and to help me do some w**ding.

Now, “helping Nan w**d” when you’re three is perhaps a fairly loose description of what was actually going on. There was plenty of investigating, chatting, digging and generally enjoying discovering the gardens' hidden treasures.

And then she found a frog.

A real, live little frog tucked away in the garden — which, as you would imagine, was suddenly far more interesting than pulling w**ds.

Unfortunately, Ivy wasn’t the only one who thought so.

Her cat Minnie who'd joined us, had spotted it too.

What followed was a rather determined rescue mission involving one frightened frog, one very interested cat and one incredibly brave three-year-old trying her hardest to catch it before the cat did.

Nan needn’t have worried.

“It’s okay, Nan. I’ve got my gardening gloves on!”

Of course. What was I thinking? 😂

The poor little frog put up one heck of a battle. It jumped, wriggled and did everything in its power to escape the toddler and the cat, but eventually the toddler won.

Safely captured, Ivy was very pleased with herself — and equally excited at the prospect of keeping her new little friend in a plastic container.

Cue our next garden lesson.

I then had to explain that although she might really want to keep him, the kindest thing we could do was let him go. Frogs belong outside, where they can hide, find food and live their little froggy lives. We could enjoy finding him, we could make sure he was safe from the cat, but he wasn't ours to keep.

With a quivering bottom lip, she took it onboard like a trouper.

Together we found a patch of long grass where he had somewhere to disappear, away from the cat and hopefully out of sight of the birds, and Ivy opened her hands and let him go.

Standing there watching her, tears of pride in my eyes, my heart just melted.

Because somewhere amongst the w**ds, muddy gardening gloves, a determined toddler, an unimpressed frog and a cat who'd just lost its afternoon entertainment, something rather lovely had happened.

Ivy was learning about the natural world around her.

Not from a book. Not from a screen. Not because anyone had sat her down and decided it was time for a lesson.

She was learning simply because she was in it.

She knows there are creatures living amongst the soil and plants because she gets her little hands in there. She's learning that gardens aren't just made up of flowers and pretty things. They're tiny living worlds, full of creatures (like roley-poley bugs AKA slaters) going about lives of their own. She's learning to be curious about them, to care about them — (which sometimes involves Tupperware containers) and perhaps most importantly, that sometimes caring for something means leaving it exactly where it belongs.

And I couldn't help thinking…

Perhaps some of life's greatest lessons really do come in unexpected little moments in the garden.

Sometimes they arrive wearing gardening gloves.

And sometimes, apparently, they hop. 💚🐸

If you love stories from the garden… 💚

If this little story made you smile, come join me in The Backyard — a slow, down-to-earth little corner of my website where we talk gardens, seasons, wildlife and all the wonderful things happening just beyond the back door. It's full of handy, downloadable comprehensive user guides and tutorials for all things back to basics and beginner gardeners.

🌸 Spring into The Backyard! Join this September and use code SPRINGM20 to enjoy 20% off your membership — more gardening know-how, inspiration and backyard chatter for a little less😁💚

https://www.tjsgardeningworks.space/

17/08/2026

Is there anything worse than standing in the w**d ‘n’ feed aisle thinking, “aghh😬is mine Kikuyu… or Buffalo?” Here’s a few clues👇😁🌱

https://www.tjsgardeningworks.space/post/what-type-of-lawn-do-i-have-identifying-lawn-varieties

13/08/2026

If you haven’t sprayed your stone fruit for leaf curl yet… this is your last call! 🚨🍑 Those plump little buds are getting ready to burst open , so get that copper on before the blossoms open, once they do… the spray bottle goes back in the shed! ☝️😁

https://www.tjsgardeningworks.space/post/time-to-tackle-leaf-curl-on-stone-fruit

02/08/2026

“Why won’t anything grow in my garden, I’ve tried everything.”

“I fertilise, water all the time, I even talk nicely to them. But every time I plant new plants a few weeks later, they start to look sick, go limp and they die. What am I doing wrong?!😩”

Sound familiar?

Most of us have been taught to garden from the top down.

Buy the plant.
Plant the plant.
Feed the plant.
Water the plant.
Admire the plant.

But Mother Nature has never worked that way, she’s always gardened from the ground up.

⸻

The world’s best gardeners don’t actually grow plants… they grow soil.

It sounds strange but think about it.

When you build a new house, you don’t start with the roof do you, and when you bake a cake, you don’t start with the icing, you mix the ingredients first.

When mother nature grows a magnificent old gum tree… she doesn’t start with the leaves, she starts beneath the ground.

Soil is the foundation of absolutely everything that happens above it.

Healthy soil.
Healthy roots.
Healthy plants.
It’s really that simple.

⸻

Your soil is alive… it’s a living thing.

(This is my part, the bit I LOVE!)

Most people look at soil and simply see… dirt.

But in actual fact, your soil is an entire bustling little underground city!

Millions of tiny micro-organisms, earthworms tunnelling through the soil, beneficial fungi stretching like underground highways, and microscopic bacteria all quietly going about their day’s work together.

They’re the real gardeners, and we’re basically just their assistants. So, it stands to reason, if we want our plants to be happy... we need to start by keeping all those tiny underground helpers happy first. Happy wife, happy life right?... or in this case... happy soil, happy garden.

⸻

Imagine your pantry…

I love using this analogy because it just makes sense.

Imagine if you never went grocery shopping ever again!
Every day you walked into your pantry and took something out.
Eventually… there’d be nothing left.

No flour, pasta, cereal… no chocolate… nothing! (it would be a sad state of affair)

Our gardens are exactly the same.

Every single flower, tomato, lemon, rose and blade of grass takes nutrients out of the soil.
If we never put anything back… eventually the pantry becomes empty.

⸻

So… how do we restock the pantry?

Easy… with anything organic.

If it was born of the earth, it can and should return back to the earth. Simple. Nature has been recycling long before we ever invented the word. Fallen leaves, compost, kitchen scraps, grass clippings, old plants, aged manures… they’re all simply tomorrow’s soil waiting to happen.

⸻

But what about when you’re doing all that, and something’s still off… nothing’s thriving… then what?

Well then, it's often another little piece of the puzzle called soil pH. If you live somewhere like I do, the lower southeast of South Australia, we tend to have hard water with a naturally high mineral content. Over summer, when we’re watering day after day, those minerals can slowly build up in the soil and gradually alter its pH.

⸻

Imagine cooking the world’s most beautiful meal then locking the kitchen door.

All the food is there… but nobody can get in.
That’s exactly what happens when your soil pH isn’t right.
Even if your soil contains plenty of nutrients…
Your plants may not be able to access them.

It’s like trying to withdraw money from a bank account when you’ve forgotten your PIN.

The money is still there, but you can’t have it. Bow bow… transaction denied.

⸻

It probably sounds a little ‘science-y’

…but honestly, it isn’t.

pH is simply a measure of how acidic or alkaline your soil is.

Most plants are happiest somewhere around 7 which is neutral. (Think of a children's see-saw with 7 sitting right in the middle).

Too alkaline? (above 7)

Important nutrients plants need, like iron, can become locked away and unavailable.

Too acidic? (below 7)

Other elements become available in excessive potentially causing toxicity. Neither is ideal.

Fortunately testing your soils pH is really easy.

You can pick up a simple soil pH test kit from most garden centres or major leading outlets. Follow the instructions on the box and you’ll have your answer in no time.

If your soil is too acidic, garden lime can be used to gradually help raise the pH. If it’s too alkaline, elemental sulfur is commonly used to slowly lower it. Keep in mind, though, neither works like flicking a switch. Without healthy soil biology, plenty of mulch, and a thriving community of the little helpers we discussed earlier, neither will achieve very much.

They're the ones doing most of the heavy lifting, helping the lime or sulfur do its job and making nutrients available to your plants once again.

⸻

Now, before you rush off and buy more replacement plants, ask yourself one question.

"Have I fed my soil and checked my pH to make sure it's truly happy?"

Because the answer, you're searching for...
..may already be there.

⸻

I hope this has helped shed a little light on what might be going on in your garden.

My debut book "Barefoot in the Backyard – Where It All Begins" is written exactly the same way you've just read this... no confusing jargon, no university science lecture... just simple, everyday explanations, my own-life stories and practical tips you can relate to and actually use in your own backyard.

By the time you reach the last page, I hope you'll never look at soil the same way again. More importantly... you'll never ask again, "Why won't anything grow in my garden"

Because the best gardens aren't grown from the leaves down...

They're grown from the ground up.
Tam😘💚

https://www.tjsgardeningworks.space/post/why-wont-anything-grow-in-my-garden

🌿 A little transparency from the garden gate

The knowledge, experiences, gardening advice and original written content shared in this article are the author’s own. AI has been used only as a creative assistant for proofreading, editing, formatting and selected illustrations.

© 2026 Tammy Johnson | TJ’s Gardening Works. All rights reserved.

07/07/2026

Hi my beautiful gardening friends💚
We’ve done it!
From the day I began writing Barefoot in the Backyard – Where It All Begins, I promised myself that
I’d give a little something back to the Australian wildlife we all love sharing our gardens with.
Thanks to your incredible support, I’ve now sold my first 50 copies! 🥹🌱
That means I’m not only nearly ready to order another print run, but I’d love for you to help decide where our first donation should go.
Which Australian native wildlife rescue or conservation organisation would you love to see us support? Pop your suggestions in the comments below. 👇

And if you’ve been thinking about grabbing a copy, please reach out. Every book purchased helps us get one step closer to supporting our wildlife, and I’ll happily sign your copy before it heads to its new home.
📖 Barefoot in the Backyard – Where It All Begins💚 Personally signed by me🚗 Local delivery available or postage Australia-wide💲RRP $50💳 Cash, EFTPOS, bank transfer or card accepted.
Thank you all so much for believing in this little dream of mine. I honestly couldn’t be doing this without you.
Love always,Tam xx 💚

02/07/2026

Sour Sobs (Oxalis) – The Winter W**d Everyone Loves to Hate

Cold, wet winter months, walk outside, and guaranteed somewhere in your garden you’ll find sour sobs!

As little kids, my brother and I would wander around the yard picking sour sobs, a few to give to mum to put in a vase, and a few for us snack on, we’d chew on the crunchy, sour stems. I can still hear Mum’s voice calling out from the back door, “Don’t eat those! They’re sour because the dogs p*e on them!”

My brother and I would look at each other, raise our eyebrows, giggle, shrug our shoulders… and eat them anyway.
Eating sour sobs was almost a rite of passage for a 70's kid.

Fast forward to now and I can’t help but smile when I’ve caught my little three-year-old granddaughter doing exactly the same thing. Funny how life comes a full circle.

You can’t miss them.
They’re those cheerful bright yellow flowers standing tall above a carpet of lush green leaves. Every winter they appear by the millions, popping up through the lawn, the garden beds, pathways and even the cracks in the driveway.

Why Sour Sobs Appear Every Winter

Sour sobs (Oxalis pes-caprae) are a cool-season bulb, so they love the cold, damp conditions that winter brings. While everything else in the garden is slowing down for the season, guaranteed the sour sobs will be ramping up. They’re almost like nature’s little calendar, announcing that winter has officially arrived!
Come the warmer weather, they’ve done their work and stored away enough energy for the following season so they die back and disappear (not unlike any other bulbs).

Why’s is It So Hard to Stop Them-Nothing Works

Think of an iceberg.
We’ve all heard the saying, “It’s just the tip of the iceberg.” That’s because only about 10% of an iceberg sits above the water, while the other 90% remains hidden beneath the surface.
Sour sobs are a bit the same (not just because they like the cold! 🥶)
What you’re seeing above the soil is only a tiny fraction of the real problem.
Every single plant is attached to an underground bulb, and over time that bulb produces dozens of tiny bulblets around it. Long before you realise it, hundreds of them can be quietly waiting beneath the surface. Then, when the autumn rains arrive and the soil cools, they all begin shooting at once.

Add to that the thousands of seeds, from the flowers that did have the opportunity to set seed, already lying dormant in the soil, and it’s easy to understand why pulling a few plants rarely solves the bigger problem. In fact, digging can often break up and spread those bulbs even further, creating even more plants for future seasons.

That’s why controlling sour sobs isn’t about winning one battle, it’s about slowly exhausting both the underground bulb bank and the seed bank over several seasons.

So, Here’s How to Manage Sour Sobs Naturally

We should always try to work with nature wherever we can.
Instead of pulling them out, simply chop them down before they have the chance to build up more energy reserves or set seed. A mower, whipper snipper or hoe all work beautifully.

That leafy material becomes free organic matter, it lays there, slowly breaking down into the soil and feeding the worms, fungi and beneficial microbes that make healthy gardens.

Even better, those little roots you’ve left behind continue doing a very important job.

As they naturally die away, they leave behind thousands of tiny channels through the soil. Those little passageways improve water infiltration, allow oxygen to move deeper into the ground and create spaces where your plants roots and soil life can thrive
Nature has already done the hard work; you might as well take advantage of it.

If they’re growing through your garden beds, add a generous layer of mulch, carboard, autumn leaves, anything organic over the top. Smother them!! Smothering them reduces the light they receive, helps weaken them over time and, at the same time, builds healthier soil underneath.

Patience really is your greatest tool.

Every year you stop the plants from photosynthesising; you’re slowly reducing the energy stored inside those underground bulbs. It won’t happen overnight, but neither did the infestation.

Is Roundup the Answer?

Sometimes, in severe infestations or areas where absolutely nothing else is practical, herbicides may have a place.

But they’re rarely the magic bullet people hope for, and often they kill other non-target plants that weren't intended (like the prized roses!!).

They usually kill the leaves you can see, but they do nothing to stop the countless dormant bulbs and seeds ready to emerge later. That’s why so many people spray year after year and still find themselves asking exactly the same question the following winter.

Sometimes the W**ds Are Trying to Tell Us Something

Believe it or not, those little yellow flowers are actually telling us something.
They’re reminding us that the soil has cooled right down.
The rains have arrived.
The microbes are active.
Earthworms are moving.
Life beneath our feet is quietly thriving.
Our gardens are breathing after another long, dry summer.
So perhaps instead of seeing sour sobs as the enemy, we can simply see them as another sign that winter has arrived, and everything is as it should be.

Give them a quick haircut, leave everything on the ground to feed the soil, spread a little mulch where you can and let nature continue doing what she does best.

Sometimes the healthiest garden isn’t the one with no w**ds.
It’s the one with the healthiest soil beneath them.

Happy Gardening

Tam😘🌱

https://www.tjsgardeningworks.space/post/how-to-get-rid-of-sour-sobs-oxalis-naturally-why-they-keep-coming-back-every-winter

28/06/2026

Visited one of my favourite customers on Friday to assist with pruning her roses. Not only does she have the most beautiful little garden, everything is lush and thriving, but she doesn’t even realise how clever she is with her attention to detail, and eye for styling! I fell inlove with her most recent project. Check it out!!

She has all the ‘thrill, fill, spill’ elements nailed. With the hero Plectranthus, surrounded by complimentary soft pink Violas, and white Bacopa and variegated Ivy spilling over the sides.

Umm…. and is the maiden hair fern in the background not ‘just to die for!’
Robyn Hage🌸💜🌸💖

10/06/2026

Naracoorte garden gurus are you ready?!…After an almost 2 year long journey, 100 copies of my debut book ‘Barefoot in the Backyard: Where It All Begins’ arrived with the courier today! I hope you will love it and enjoy it as much as I’ve loved writing it for you. Enjoy!😘📚💚

Available direct through me ( message me or pop in and see me at work) and through my website

https://www.tjsgardeningworks.space/product-page/barefoot-in-the-backyard-where-it-all-begins

(Soon to be available online through Dymocks, Angus & Roberson, Booktopia and Amazon Kindle).

**(Cheaper direct through me though🤭💚)

07/06/2026

Fracking in the Limestone Coast: Why Some Things Are Too Precious to Risk

There are some things in life we can replace. A dead lawn, a failed crop, a broken fence, even a struggling garden can often be rebuilt with time, patience, and care.
But water?
Clean, ancient underground water systems that have taken thousands upon thousands of years to form beneath our feet?
Once they are damaged, contaminated, or depleted… there’s no quick fix for that.
And that’s exactly why so many people across the Limestone Coast are deeply concerned right now about the proposed lifting of the fracking moratorium in our region.

So… what actually is fracking? (in Tam terminology)

Fracking (let's face it... it doesn't even sound nice🙄) is short for “hydraulic fracturing.”
Imagine the limestone beneath our feet like a giant block of Swiss cheese, full of tiny holes, channels and pathways where water slowly moves over thousands of years.

Now imagine forcing water, sand and chemicals into those rock layers under enormous pressure to create and widen cracks so trapped gas can escape.
That's fracking in a nutshell.
And here in the Limestone Coast, where so much of our water comes from underground aquifers, it's easy to see why many people feel protective of these systems.
Water in the Limestone Coast is everything.

Our region survives because of water beneath the ground

Unlike some places blessed with huge permanent rivers, much of the Limestone Coast depends heavily on underground aquifers.
These aquifers quietly support:
our farms
vineyards
livestock
wetlands
wildlife
town water supplies
gardens
local food production
and entire ecosystems

Most people probably don’t even think about them day to day because we can’t physically see them.
But they’re there, beneath our feet, like invisible life support systems quietly keeping this entire region alive.
And that's the part that worries so many people. Once our underground water systems are damaged, realistically, there is no magic wand to put them back the way they were. That's what makes these decisions so important. The consequences can last far longer than any of us, affecting not just our generation, but my grandchildren and yours too. Think about that for a moment.

“But they say it’s safe…”

And this is where the conversation becomes really difficult.
The supporters of fracking often argue that modern regulations and scientific assessments can minimise risks, and maybe they can reduce some risks.
But “reduced risk” is not the same thing as “no risk.”
And when you’re talking about something as precious and irreplaceable as water, many people feel that even a small chance of contamination or disruption is simply too great.
Especially in a region like ours that is already naturally fragile in many ways.

The Limestone Coast isn’t just another patch of land.

We sit on porous limestone systems.
Water moves differently here.
Our wetlands, caves, underground water flows, sinkholes, farming systems and biodiversity are all interconnected in ways many people outside this region may never fully understand.
This isn’t just about politics.
This is about long-term consequences.

Short-term gain vs long-term responsibility

One thing I think we sometimes forget as humans is that just because we can do something… it doesn't always mean we should. Especially when future generations inherit the consequences long after the profits are gone.
My children and grandchildren... and yours too, will one day depend on these same underground water systems. They will inherit our soils, our food-growing regions, and the ecosystems that quietly support life every single day.
What kind of legacy do we leave behind if we gamble with those things?

Nature works slowly.

Healthy ecosystems aren't created overnight.
Aquifers recharge slowly.
Soils form slowly.
Wetlands evolve slowly.
Biodiversity recovers slowly.
Nature is incredibly resilient… but only up to a point.
And sometimes the damage we humans create, sadly happens far faster than nature can repair it.

This region is already special without risking it.

The Limestone Coast already contributes enormously through agriculture, wine production, tourism, conservation and food systems.
People travel here because of the beauty of our region
Our caves. Our wetlands. Our farmlands. Our rugged coastlines. Our giant majestic red gums standing watch over the landscape. Our rolling plains... and the sense of peace that comes with them.
Some things simply can't be measured in dollars and cents.
Their value runs much deeper.
Once industrial impacts alter a landscape, we rarely get the original version back.

Sometimes protecting something is progress.

We often hear the word “progress” used to justify development.
But perhaps real progress is learning where the limits should be.
Perhaps true progress is recognising that some resources are simply too precious to put at risk.
Our water is one of them.

In the end, without healthy water systems, nothing else survives for very long anyway.
Not farms.
Not wildlife.
Not communities.
Not future generations.

And maybe that’s the heart of why so many people here care so deeply about this issue.
This isn’t fearmongering, this is people protecting the place they love.
The place we, you and I call home.
And sometimes being a good ancestor means knowing when to say:

“No. Some things matter more.”

Tam 🫶🏼😘
https://www.tjsgardeningworks.space/post/fracking-in-the-limestone-coast-why-some-things-are-too-precious-too-be-messed-with

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

# # 🎉 A Little Celebration Gift From Me

I'm incredibly excited to share that my debut book, *Barefoot in the Backyard*, is currently with the printers and should be arriving any day now!

To celebrate, I'd love to offer a little welcome gift to anyone who would like to join us inside **The Backyard Members Corner**.

# # # Use the code: WELCOME10

and receive **$10 off an annual membership.**

As a Backyard Member, you'll enjoy:

🌱 Exclusive members-only guides and articles
🌱 Weekly seasonal gardening updates
🌱 A quieter corner free from endless advertising, clickbait and spam
🌱 Direct access to *Barefoot in the Backyard* at a special members price as soon as the books arrive

# # # How to claim your welcome gift

1. Visit TJ's Gardening Works
2. Click **Join Now**
3. Select the **Backyard Membership – Annual (Best Value)** plan
4. Enter the code **WELCOME10** at checkout

I'd love to welcome you into our little community.

See you in The Backyard! 💚

Tam 😘💚

https://www.tjsgardeningworks.space/post/fracking-in-the-limestone-coast-why-some-things-are-too-precious-too-be-messed-with

(🌱 A little transparency from the garden gate: I occasionally use AI tools to help create images, check facts, or tidy up my typos. The stories, opinions, experiences, and gardening advice shared here come from me and me only).

21/05/2026

Some of my earliest memories, from when I was a little girl, were of visiting Nanna and Grandpop’s house in winter.

Nanna had one of those old wood stoves in the kitchen, and the little front fire door was almost always cracked open with that soft orange glow flickering away inside. There’d be a pile of chopped wood stacked beside it on the floor, a few weeks’ worth of old newspapers saved for relighting, and an ash bucket half full, ready to go out to the garden. The kitchen was always warm, cozy, and smelled faintly of smoke, rabbit stew, and comfort.

Nanna and Pop didn’t live a fancy life, but it was rich with love, laughter, and resourcefulness.

Nanna always sprinkled the wood ash somewhere throughout the veggie patch or around the garden, and because Nanna did it… Mum eventually did too.

For generations, gardeners have used woodfire ash in the garden as a kind of free homemade fertiliser. Grandparents swore by it. Old orchard growers scattered it beneath fruit trees. Veggie gardeners sprinkled it around the tomatoes and roses.

But does wood ash actually help the garden… or is it just another one of those old gardening myths that’s been passed down over time?

As it turns out — the answer is a bit of both.

So, Can We Use Wood Ash in the Garden?

Yes… if used correctly.

Wood ash can genuinely benefit some soils and plants because it contains valuable minerals absorbed by the tree while it was still alive and growing. Once the wood burns down, a lot of those minerals remain concentrated in the ash.

Wood ash commonly contains: calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and trace minerals
One thing wood ash doesn’t really contain, though, is nitrogen. During combustion, nitrogen is largely burnt off and released back into the atmosphere as the wood burns away.

So, while wood ash can help improve soil mineral levels, it’s not really a “complete fertiliser” the way many people assume.

Think of it more as a mineral supplement, soil amendment, and natural pH adjuster rather than a magic cure-all for the garden.

An Interesting Fact Most Gardeners Don’t Realise About Wood Ash
is that it's surprisingly alkaline and can often have a pH upwards of 9–11.

So, if you were tipping your ash bucket out in the same area of the garden week after week, you could unintentionally raise your soil pH over time.

For gardeners with naturally acidic soils, that's fine... it might actually be beneficial.

But for many of us gardening in naturally alkaline regions — like parts of the Limestone Coast, South Australia, too much wood ash can quietly create problems we don’t immediately notice.

Problems like nutrient lock up, reduced soil biology and create a hard crusty soil surface.

Despite the myths, there actually was good logic behind many of the old gardening practices involving wood ash. Wood ash is naturally rich in potassium — an important nutrient that helps support flowering, fruiting, disease resilience, and water regulation within our plants. That’s why older gardeners often sprinkled it around things like tomatoes, roses, pumpkins, garlic, onions and fruit trees.

And interestingly, not all ashes are created equal either. Hardwood ashes like red gum or old fruit tree pruning's, generally contain far more minerals and nutritional value than softwoods like pine.

So, Grandpa wasn’t completely wrong after all. 😉

Can You Put Wood Ash in Compost?

Yes... but sparingly.

A light sprinkling of wood ash through the compost can actually help add valuable minerals, reduce odours, and balance an overly acidic compost.

Thick layers are another story.

Too much ash in compost can raise pH too high, slow microbial activity and interfere with decomposition.

As with most things, balance matters.
A sprinkle is beneficial.
A bucket dumped in one spot… umm, probably not.

Does Wood Ash Stop Slugs and Snails?

This one sits somewhere between fact and myth.

Dry ash can temporarily irritate soft-bodied pests like slugs and snails.
The problem is, the moment dew, rain, or moisture hits the ash… it quickly loses effectiveness.
So, while it might help briefly, it’s not really a reliable long-term snail control method.
(And honestly, a nighttime wander through the garden with a torch and a bucket still works surprisingly well!)

Warning ⚠️
Not all ash is safe to use in the garden.
Avoid using ash from treated timber, painted wood, MDF, laminated products, or those BBQ charcoal briquettes.
These materials can contain glues, chemicals, salts, or heavy metals that you definitely don’t want ending up in your soil.
Only use ash from clean, untreated natural wood.

The Real Secret to Using Wood Ash Successfully

The best gardeners rarely rely on just one thing alone, they tend to use a balanced, layered approach instead. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, all working together. Wood ash works best when used sparingly alongside compost, mulch, healthy soil biology, organic matter and good watering practices, because ultimately, healthy soil is all about balance.

A quick fun historical fact — Did You Know...

Long before commercial fertilisers existed, wood ash was actually one of the world’s most important agricultural products.

The word “potash” literally comes from the term “pot ashes”, because people once soaked wood ash in large pots of water to extract potassium salts for farming, soap making and food production.

It became such an important source of potassium that potash eventually grew into a major international trade commodity.

Not bad for something most of us simply sweep out of the fireplace and throw away.”

Gardening has always been full of old traditions handed down through generations.
Some turn out to be myths, some turn out to contain real wisdom.
And many sit somewhere beautifully in between.
Wood ash in the garden is a perfect example of that.
Turns out many of those old gardening traditions carried more wisdom than people realised.

Happy Gardening😘💚

https://www.tjsgardeningworks.space/post/wood-ash-in-the-garden-helpful-soil-booster-or-old-gardening-myth

TJs gardening Works

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