[piskieinboots]

I have a pal that would like to grow some spuds in tyres, does anyone know where you would obtain old tyres?

I said I thought old tyres were melted to make 'remoulds' - or don't they do that any more?

[David.]

When I did this I found the soil inside tended tended to dry out (much more so than salvaged plastic dustbins with the bottom jigsawed off.

Usefull though for auxillary compost bins and laying on polythene dpm mulch to stop it blowing away in the winter gales.

Get them from my local tyre garage. They think it's great as it costs them a fortune to dispose of them.

[muntjac]

as above for tyres . if you fone a tractor tyre company they will dump you a couple real big ones . fill the base with manure and then soil to the top start at the centre with your seed spuds and werk round a foot apart , water well . the little ones take a lot watering . the biggun will take a good soaking but you will see the difference .great for carrots as well the next year ,we used em on the farm as holders for all sorts ,grandad had his rhubarb in one and he turn the root out every second year by lifting the tyre up and redid the soil with manure . rhubarb like tree trunks :

[piskieinboots]

cheers guys - much appreciated  

[ytyynycefn]

I tried tyres this year for my salad spuds, and they worked a treat, I plonked a tyre on an old airbed, filled with compost, and chucked 3-4 seed puds in.  I had every intention of adding another tyre or two, but due to various things going on, never got round to it.  However, I still got enough for two family meals from each tyre.  They do seem to be quite warm, and they seemed damp enough, probably due to the wet weather - they were never watered, anyway.

I get them from my local tyre fitters  - they have to pay a quid to get each one recycled, so are more than happy to give them to me.  I just turn up in my Land Rover, and they even load it up for me, bless 'em  :roll:

[piskieinboots]

bless em  

[Durgan]

28 July 2007 Growing Potatoes


There is a lot of babble on the internet about growing potatoes with stalks supported by tires and using straw for covering. To my way of thinking this is only complicating matters. One hilling of plants after the main stalks emerge is probably more than sufficient. The view seems to be that potato tubulars are produced along the stalks, which is simply not the case.

New potatoes grow from shoots emanating from the very bottom of the stalks in a circle, almost from the seed potato itself. No new potatoes grow below the seed potato. The new potatoes must be protected from light, otherwise they turn green and are somewhat poisonous.

Hilling is done to protect the new potatoes from light, and the earth tends to support the weak stalks, since they tend to fall and spread out.

Study the attached pictures, which supports my view.

[Durgan]

26 August 2007 Potato Harvest
.

This is the produce from 25 plants. Grown were Superior and Pontiac. The Superior were used all summer as required for the table.

The potaotes were lightly washed to remove dirt, dried in the sun for about 2 hours to harden the skin, graded for size, then placed in paper bags. They will be stored in the dark cold room in the basement with the bags left open for air.

The quality is excellent.

[splodger]

my spuds for Christmas are doing well enough in tyres...



i just top up with compost as the haulm grows - adding tyres as i go


as for where to get tyres from - i just contacted my local tyre garage - as they have to pay to have old ones taken away - and were more than happy to let me have my pick of them

[WG.]

More tread on them than the ones I've got on the car  :oops:

[DD.]

More tread on them than the ones I've got on the car  :oops:

I have your address - expect a knock on the door.

[John]

I have your address - expect a knock on the door.

Removed my post, second thought on joke in bad taste

[David.]

New potatoes grow from shoots emanating from the very bottom of the stalks in a circle, almost from the seed potato itself. No new potatoes grow below the seed potato

Nobody seems to have mentioned planting a layer of tubers in a container, earthing up, planting another layer, etc., so you do get potatoes all the way up (which worked well at the village school courtyard garden).

[Clodagh & Dick]

Agrre containers can be used but ones without a bottom best so that it can be lifted off to help with final harvesting after you have removed as many as possible by hand digging down from the top leaving othetrs to grow bigger.