"...and they've got some great ideas about using old tires for planters."
Not to horn in, but that's how I raise potatoes because I have rather clay-ish soil. Works slick. Start with one tire, fill it with dirt and plant your spuds. As the plant grows, add a tire and more dirt to cover up the stems. The more of the stem you cover, the more taters will grow.
When it's time to harvest, let the kids push the whole thing over and go digging for Yukon Golds. :)
I've never tried planting taters...always seemed like too danged much work to me...especially when I livedin Delaware and every other farm was a tater farm.
I have enough things I'm experimenting with for the first time this year - I don't think I'm going to complicate things any further.
The hubby and I just came in from marking off the 8,000 square feet we're going to use, not including the strawberry patch. Which is going in a different area. And the raspberries are in another area altogether also.