Garden compost & chimney creosote

[Gordon1]

Question for wood-burners:

Is chimney creosote (black crusty powder) a suitable amendment for the compost pile? I recall reading this years ago, but can't be sure.

Anyone have insight on this topic?

[phkrause]

I think so, but am not sure.

[LynnDel]

I've long been told not to use creosote treated lumber in the garden, so this definitely sounds iffy. Creosote is a carcinogen.

LD

[Gordon1]

Thanks all. A brief search didn't turn up anything along these lines.

Yes LynnDel, at least some creosotes are poisonous, such as the hardware store variety - probably the same stuff used to preserve railway ties - which I believe is made from coal tar. (And maybe why dark hair dyes are also carcinogenic - coal tar based - but no one here uses that stuff, I know

Creosote from wood tar may be a different animal. And even if toxic for human consumption, it might be ok or even beneficial as a compost amendment.

Interesting thing I found at Wikipedia - the word creosote is a compound of two Greek words, both found in the Bible:

•kreas [2907] = flesh

•soter [4990] = preserver or saver, (in the Bible translated as saviour)

Smoking meat, or applying wood tar creosote to preserve & flavor it is still practiced today. And it seems there are medical uses as well.

My thought for the compost pile was to add minerals? elements? which once came from the ground to form the tree. How are they changed by combustion? - Don't know..

[Gordon1]

DGRIMM60

do you own a copy of

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance?

gordon1

[LynnDel]

The nice thing about the internet is that you can access Strong's without having to be strong enough to exhaust yourself by carrying around the heavy volume.

I've never seen a subject veer so far, so fast, from the original topic! :)

[phkrause]

LD you know that things go all over the place here.