I keep old kettles and metal buckets on my covered patio for a week before I either put them on the ground or in storage to use for rattlesnake control later in the year. The snakes are dormant during the winter months.
As long as the ashes don't get wet while you are waiting to make sure there are no live embers in the bucket/kettle, there is nothing to worry about. A week seems to be sufficient. I've never had a problem with live embers, if I've waited that long. I have two old kettles and one bucket.
I don't use the patio during the winter, so I don't care if the ash containers don't look pretty ...
Smiles,
Lyn
