Fire in the Garden ?

AlittleSalt · November 26, 2015

I could have posted this in Soilbuilding 101, but I'm thinking this could be helpful in discouraging some of those Common Garden Diseases and Pests too. While I want this to be more about any soil out there around our world, I will write about the soil I have for gardening.

Before joining Tomatoville in late May 2014, I read a lot of organic books and visited organic growing sites. A lot of info suggests that adding wood ash to a garden can/will enhance the soil. I have read countless times that wood ash helps lower alkaline soils' PH. In my case, our soil is 6.7 which is slightly acidic. (That's the Soilbuilding 101 part.)

For the Common Garden Diseases and Pests part - I use oak leaves to till into the ground. I also use them as a weed controlling mulch which also helps cool the soil (It's mostly very hot here in Texas) and it helps insulate so that I don't have to water so often. But all those leaves invite bugs. In the winter, those bugs overwinter in those leaves.

I'm very uncertain about diseases and if a fire might help rid them?

What I am thinking is, "Why not burn off those remaining leaves this winter? Burn them in place on a very cold still (Not windy) day when the pest insects are burrowed into the leaves. Then till in the oak leaf ash - leaving the soil bare. Killing the overwintering pests, adding to the soil structure, and not adding leaves until the soil has warmed up later in the year - in May here?

What do you think?

November 26, 2015	#1
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	Fire in the Garden ? I could have posted this in Soilbuilding 101, but I'm thinking this could be helpful in discouraging some of those Common Garden Diseases and Pests too. While I want this to be more about any soil out there around our world, I will write about the soil I have for gardening. Before joining Tomatoville in late May 2014, I read a lot of organic books and visited organic growing sites. A lot of info suggests that adding wood ash to a garden can/will enhance the soil. I have read countless times that wood ash helps lower alkaline soils' PH. In my case, our soil is 6.7 which is slightly acidic. (That's the Soilbuilding 101 part.) For the Common Garden Diseases and Pests part - I use oak leaves to till into the ground. I also use them as a weed controlling mulch which also helps cool the soil (It's mostly very hot here in Texas) and it helps insulate so that I don't have to water so often. But all those leaves invite bugs. In the winter, those bugs overwinter in those leaves. I'm very uncertain about diseases and if a fire might help rid them? What I am thinking is, "Why not burn off those remaining leaves this winter? Burn them in place on a very cold still (Not windy) day when the pest insects are burrowed into the leaves. Then till in the oak leaf ash - leaving the soil bare. Killing the overwintering pests, adding to the soil structure, and not adding leaves until the soil has warmed up later in the year - in May here? What do you think?