Spuds in Tyres?

[Creemteez]

I remember seeing this method of growing spuds on an episode of GW. They used shredded newspaper to fill the void around the area where the air should go. As I remember, it was as much to save on compost as anything.
So each time you add a tyre, pack the void out with shredded newspaper (or straw, then earth up with compost! It worked for them, should for you! Good luck.

[dragonaxe]

OMG!!!!! What a fantastic idea!!!! I'm definately going to try that. KwikFit here I come, lol

[Scottishnewbie]

I tried to get some tyres from local place to grow pumpkins in and the garage told me that they 'weren't allowed' to give them away unless i filled in a disclaimer - presumably to say i wouldnt set fire to them in the middle of the high street!!! they gave me 6 in the end, made me promise to bring in some of my veg and sent me on my way! tyres are now 3 deep and filled with mixture of horse manure and compost just waiting for warmer weather to plant out ever increasing pumpkin seedlings!

[Sanjo]

hi this will be my first time growing anything would i be able to use a plastic 30lt bin ? if so how would i start ? please help as the kids are laughing at daddy trying to grow spuds

Hello Dave evo and a big welcome to the vine.
There are a number of helpful hits here on growing spuds in containers. Have a go with the search button, but especially look at Tattieman's video and links.
Yes, you can grow spuds in a 30 ltr container although you might not get a massive crop (trying to picture 30lt!!)
Does it really matter though. If it is to impress the children then go for it. Spuds are pretty easy and they look impressive as they grow - mind you, you might get your leg pulled if the yield is a bit dismal.
What about salad crops in it. ie radish and lettuce.
Whatever you grow you will need to make drainage holes in it.
Try and find the video I mentioned and if you still have questions JUST ASK.
Nobody here will laugh (we'll leave that to your littlies!!) Good luck anyway.

[King Carrot]

I don't wish to wet everyones chips but I was put off doing this due to the various chemicals/substances that are in the tyres leeching into the spuds.

just one item from a google seach I did just now:

Beware Cadmium Poisoning
Just a caution about growing food in tyres. Tyres contain cadmium which fixes the colour in rubber. Cadmium, though little talked about, is one of the more poisonous of the metals in our environment. Potatoes are known to accumulate cadmium, as do cabbages, carrots, radishes, lettuce, turnips, tobacco, cocoa and peanuts. Obviously potatoes are a concern because they form a large part of most people's diet. As is the case with all heavy metal poisoning, the early symptoms are not noticed until it is too late.

[snohare]

I was kind of biting my tongue here, but...This is one of the automotive industry's biggest headaches.

Will give the local garage a call tomorrow as try to sweet talk them into letting me have some. Better for me to have them, than them get burnt or buried or whatever happens to them.

Actually, I believe they are usually disposed of as toxic waste. This is why they are to be seen everywhere on farms and in garages - they are very costly to dispose of. It is also probably why the garage only gave them away after getting a disclaimer - I'll bet it said that you were responsible for disposal. Garages now have to account for every tyre that they get rid of, simply because cheap flytipping is such an expensive, toxic timebomb.
I have noticed that country folk, who are often very au fait with the regulations and whys and wherefores, seem to like painting their tyre planters, usually with white gloss paint. I wonder if that is anything to do with avoiding cadmium leaching out. My understanding is that it is tiny particles of rubber flaking off that tend to lose the plasticisers and heavy metals most, simply because they have a large surface area to volume ratio; this is why SEPA worry about road debris getting into watercourses after rain.
Create a nice impermeable barrier and with no crumbs or leaching, you might be okay. (Any colour should do, the tyres absorb and hold heat well even when white.)
I have no idea what the amounts of toxins involved are, but tyres are supposed to be very toxic, so I wouldn't use them just from the point of view, how am I ever going to dispose of them some day ?

[Rossa]

A cousin of mine in Queensland, Oz has sent me a link to this article about "slow" gardening as in taking it easy rather than be a busy fool rushing around getting no where fast (she knows me too well....lol) etc.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/ga...y&_r=1&emc=tnt

On the 2nd page he has a pile of tyres painted green so I guess he does that to stop the leaching of the chemicals. Only alternative I guess would be a heavy duty large bin liner like the ones for garden refuse, with holes for drainage.

Great idea though. I've been thinking about using them for carrots. Don't know what colour to paint them as green's not quite my colour.....says she growing veg...haha

How about a nice shade of lilac anyone!!!!!!!!!

[teakdesk]

I wonder if that is anything to do with avoiding cadmium leaching out. My understanding is that it is tiny particles of rubber flaking off that tend to lose the plasticisers and heavy metals most...

I'm not in the slightest bit trying to disagree or minimise the problem waste tyres present but I believe the leaching of chemicals is over the long-term and does not cause a problem to gardeners who grow in them using fresh compost each year as the time scale is too short.

From "wasteonline.com"
When disposed of in landfill sites, tyres in large volumes can cause instability by rising to the surface of the site, affecting its long term settlement and therefore posing problems for future use and land reclamation. Rubber materials contain proportions of organic chemicals and little is known about the long-term leaching effects of these materials.


I suspect nasty chemicals from gloss paint will leach out a long time before chemicals from the tyres.


But I wouldn't use tyres because eventually you will want to get rid of them and will have to pay a firm to dispose of them for you.

[Peter]

One little point everyone seems to be missing here.

Leaching that affects what you are growing will occurr inside the tyre rather than outside, so you should not see the paint.

Leaching from the outside will affect the soil the tyre is standing on.

Country folk are trying to disguise, using paint the fact that it's just an old tyre.