Anybody ever use a stack of tires to grow potatoes in a small garden?
My neighbor used to set her seed potatoes inside a tire ring, with soil & amendments.
As those plants sprouted, she would add another tire and more soil, etc.
She would end up with about a 6 tire stack, using only a small part of her garden space.
When it was time to harvest, she would carefully remove one tire at a time, getting small, new potatoes at the top and larger potatoes further down the stack.
ALL were delicious.
I have heard of people using tires to grow potatoes, but I have never heard of this continuous elevated system.
Actually, it makes sense, since the potatoes are a root crop which begins production after flowering.
Generally, black containers become solar heat collectors and heat sinks, and may be too hot for many climates.
This method appears to be ingenious for cooler climates, and higher altitudes which extends the crop growth season.
Good on Ya !
It works well. I used to grow potatoes that way as a novelty for my boys and to get them interested in food production.
Beau did it last year, but we had such a wet year that production wasn’t up to par - we still got potatoes, but about half of what we should’ve gotten.
He planted 15# of FREE seed potatoes from his brother this season; some he hilled and some he just did in a row to see which worked better. We have ridiculously good soil in the lower garden where he grows sweet corn, popcorn and melons.
It might be almost TOO good for potatoes, LOL!
Everytime I thought about doing that ...the I asked myself if I wanted to eat whatever was leaching out of the tires and into the soil, then into my potatoes.
So I have never tried it....too chicken
I was going to do this back in 2010. Had several tires in the garage, and thought it would free up some space in the garage and make the most of a small area for planting.
Hubby nixed it-said the tires were too good. Here we are-10 years later and those tires have never been used again. They were studded for use in winter, and I don’t think we even have the vehicle anymore. I retired a few years earlier and no longer drove to St. Louis for work-hence no need for studded snow tires.
Diana, thanks for the ping!
I’m a long time gardener, with heirlooms and I’m happy to hear about this thread!
Hubby and I have been scrambling the last few nights to cover everything. I don’t remember having cold spells this low in GA in May. I have zucchini, cucumber, spaghetti squash, tomatoes, bell and jalapeño pepper, corn, bush beans and potatoes planted and all are a few inches tall, except tomatoes which I started early and already have flowers.
This year I am trying two different ways with potatoes - one in rows, old-school style, and the other using fence wrapped into circles and continuously adding compost and straw. I’ll let you know the outcome. So far the fence column potatoes are almost up to my chin, but I don’t know if that’s good or bad.
Hubby and I planted a couple dozen blueberry bushes this year, and working on bird netting for those.
I have a question... I’m guessing a lot of us raise chickens. We have an evil fox picking off my birds. The most recent attack left one of my hen’s entire back scalped, from near the base of her neck, to her tail, and wing to wing. I nearly put her down that day. But I sprayed blu kote on her back and dosed her with pen-g for a few days. She is eating, drinking, scratching, laying and is not being picked on by the other birds. She gets around slow, has a slight limp. Her back aggravates her some, she picks at it. No blood. But like I said, she was scalped and I wanted to know if this has happened to any others and does anyone know if her skin/feathers grow back?
I really hate that fox.