Hello this is my first ever forum post so please go easy on me. My wife and I recently bought an older house in the south with a big yard. I have dreams of putting in a permaculture system and really want to have fruit trees. The other day I was digging to plant a fig tree and about six inches down I hit a layer of what looks to be half burnt coal. I stopped and planted the tree into a larger pot for now. The house was built in the late 1800s and originally had coal fireplaces. I assume years of ash is most likely all over the back yard. Is this safe. What should I do? Is it safe to compost materials from the surrounding trees and plants? Any help would be great.
Thank you for your time.
Dave
