Potatoes in tyres

[noviceveggrower]

Hi,
I was just wondering if anyone grows potatoes in old tyres. Have heard about a few people doing this but never seen anyone down my allotment do this.
Was wondering
If it was suitable for all potatoes?
How many tyres high do you stack them?
And how many seed potatoes do you put in to start with?
Thanks

[Hazel at the Hill]

Before you go lugging old tyres to the plot, NVG, check to see if they are allowed on your site - we've had a ban on them in B'ham.

[hamesy]

Yes its possible. I'd plant two seed potatoes per tyre (depending on the size) and add a layer on compost on top of them. When they break through the soil, add another tyre and more compost. 2 or 3 tyres should be enough.

[noviceveggrower]

Before you go lugging old tyres to the plot, NVG, check to see if they are allowed on your site - we've had a ban on them in B'ham.

Thanks Hazel if not I could always do them at home. Think one of the raised beds here has nearly rotted away again.

[muddled]

There was some discussion around a couple of years ago about whethter pollution was absorbed by the spuds or not. I don't know what the final consensus was....maybe worth having a gurgle?

When I did it, I put three maincrop or five earlies in the bottom tyre and covered with a mix of topsoil and manure and then just kept topping up whenever the leaves grew through.
I found though, at the end, that water was not really getting down to where it was needed. Certainly round the edges was very dry and the bottom two tyres were completely parched.
Also, the slugs loved them.
When turning out the dirt there were MILLIONS of slug eggs in there.
The chickens were happy but I decided to grow my spuds in thew ground after that!

[Potstubsdustbins]

Tried tyres once after watching the pony tailed TV gardener do it some years back (wish I could remember his name. It was quite successful but I changed to plastic dustbins after I heard about the possible pollution problem.

[Martin H]

the pony tailed TV gardener do it some years back (wish I could remember his name.

Bob Flowerdew.

[alldigging]

I have a feeling I've watched a video with someone stuffing the inner bits of the tyre with wet shredded newspaper before putting soil in the middle bit. Might have dreamt that though.

[Snadger]

Bob Flowerdew.

Never seen him for a while ont telly? Used to like his programmes and have a couple of his books somewhere. Down to earth knowledgeable gardener. BF and Geoff Hamilton are my faves. Monty is a good presenter but not really a 'proppa' knowledgeable gardener!

[Potstubsdustbins]

Thanks Martin that's the guy. I am going back a few years he was on telly and seemed to be growing veggies anywhere and in everything from car tyres to old fridges with the door removed.

All Digging that could well be the program I watched he certainly stuffed the tyres with news paper as insulation.

[Tomatoe]

My neighbour does them in tyres every year. He has a hose pipe (with holes in it) coiled through to make sure the water gets all the way into the tyres.

[Bill HH]

Why would tyers cause parched compost anymore than a plastic pot/ bin?

[Tomatoe]

I'm assuming because of the shape?

[Potstubsdustbins]

I don't think they would Bill. More likely that folks don't realise how much water a large container needs. The other factor is that the top of the compost can be seen to be wet, but again it may only be the top few inches.

That one of the reasons I leave at least a 4" space on top of my bins, that way I can just pour in a 2 gallon bucket of water and leave it to soak through.

[Lumpy]

I have tried tyres for spuds but they need a huge amont of compost and slugs and snails can be a problem if the compost is not rammed into the wheel arches (well I found that it was a problem). Now I grow just salad spuds in either 30 ltr buckets (2 per bucket) or spud bags.
Tyres are very useful for cucumbers, squash etc, just singularly on the floor and we have 4 put together with a fifth on top as a strawberry mountain. It works well.