A side effect of burning wood (to keep warm or for cooking) is a large amount of wood ashes.

Ashes are a fantastic source of Potassium, Phosphorus and Nagnesium and (if it is clean of impurities like plastic) can be spread on vegetables or in gardens as a mulch. However, this makes the soil very alkaline, and can and will kill acid loving plants. The ashes can also be tilled into the soil to sweeten it (and is about half the strength of lime).

Ash can be used to make lye, can be spread as a cover for waste material in a composting toliet (outhouse) to help cover the smell and to improve the digestion. It can also be used for polishing stains in coffee cups or spreading in urine soaked areas before cleaning up kept animals (non-domestic). There are 1000’s of uses, some of which are more practical than others, and a search of google yields many results.

Although it is listed as a fix for the Squash Beetle, do not apply it to summer or winter squash plants or the surrounding soil, as squash need acidic soil, and the ash will kill them (or any acid loving plant) quickly.