i do not put any wood ash in my compost piles! have, but only small amt. did it on advice/research. stopped when i saw the results. it's like coffee, paper and egg shells! i never seen an egg shell decompose worth a darn in over 40 years! we put in bio's only. our compost is large circular welded wire. and we do not turn any of it. my compost never smells bad. always has a fresh forest floor odor to it once composted. if your concerns were my concerns, i would go over to Utube-U... in general, plenty of good, sound advice there on many points of composting.
i think MP has the right idea. however, weed seeds take a long time to decompose and may get replanted into the garden when compost used. i like to put a layer of dirt on my bio-degrading column from time to time, too. i like the results ~
MP:
Add organic matter: hay, grass clippings, leaves, woodchips, sawdust, dead weeds, .....
imo - skip the wood ash!!, study the specific needs of the plants you grow... adjust accordingly... and for best results use a balanced side dressing. 13-13-13, for example. organic or bagged, the plants can only use N-P-K in one form, and one form only. for ideal side dressing results, u have to know what your plant is doing down under. just tossing some at base of stalk is less than idea. less is more, too....
Good Luck with your gardening.
From our home garden - 2022
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