If you grow potatoes in open soil then you need to build up a mound of earth around the plant as it grows. When growing potatoes in tyres or containers the earthing-up process is aided by the containment.
There follows a description of an experiment in potato growing in tyres.
1) In this photo we see a piece of cleared earth with cardboard placed on top of the soil to keep the weeds down.
2) The tyre is fully filled with compost. Make sure that the inside of the tyre rim is filled too so that there is plenty of compost for the tubers to grow in. Press a seed potato into the compost to a depth of four inches or so. Cover the seed with compost and then water.
3) When the plant has grown to about 10 inches (25 cms) tall place a second tyre over the first and earth up, again making sure that the rim is filled too.
4) Three or four tyres will be needed for the plant to fully develop and yield a good crop of potatoes. You don't need to earth up with your best compost, almost anything will do. I use compost that hasn't yet fully rotted down, grass clippings, weeds that have been semi-rotted in a black plastic bag, old tea bags. Earthing up uses a lot of matter and you will soon use up compost that could be used elsewhere.At harvest time just kick over the tyres and separate them to reveal the crop. Make sure all the compost (including any stuck in the rims) is removed to where it can be used to grow a different crop the following season. Use new compost to grow next year's potatoes.
Problems
During this experiment some problems were noted.
- Ordinary car tyres are quite small and make gaining access to the plant stems difficult. Often, stems are damaged when rearranging stems following earthing-up.
- There is much written about contamination from the materials used to construct tyres. Toxic heavy metals are used in tyre manufacture and may leech into the soil. One idea is to just use tyres as a holder, for a plastic sack, in which the potatoes grow. However, that would leave less room for the plant as the inside of the tyre rims are not being utilised.
- Overall, car tyres are probably too small for potato growing. A larger container, such as a 55-gallon blue plastic barrel cut in half (with drainage holes drilled in the bottom), is probably better suited to the task.
Potato growing comparisons - includes container growing of potatoes
Storing potatoes - what to do with your potato harvest
Stop spending money you idiots! - how not to grow potatoes in containers
Let us know
Have you tried growing potatoes in tyres or other containers?
What are your thoughts and ideas?
Do add your comments below, which are always read and answered to.
27 comments:
I have seen that and read many forum posts about it.
It's hard to say what is actually going on in that company.
I don't think anything will come of it.
I like seeing the tire potato bed in action...I've heard of it, but never yet seen it. How easy!
I've read somewhere that as the plant keeps growing, you keep hilling up more earth on it and adding tires upwards...is this true? Not having grown potatoes, I'd not be sure when to stop.
If it's this easy, it's sure worth a try.
Start off by planting in a single tyre. When the plant has broken the surface and grown enough to peep over a second tyre then put on that second tyre and earth up. Three or four tyres will be sufficient.
Have you tried Kennebec potatos?
My father in law plants them and are the goods.
Never heard of Kennebec till now.
I shall stick with my Cara for now. A great all-rounder.
Floury, which is what I prefer to waxy potatoes.
It can be boiled, roasted, chipped, fried, and baked. That is just as well because I grew so many and would get tired of the same cooking style.
Kennebec and Red pontiac are the only ones I know - and eat.
I have checked kennebec in google and found this adress: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/potpom/var/indexe.shtml.
I never thought that potatos could be such a family!!
I'm concerned about the petrochemicals leeching into my potatoes. Tires smell very strong and I can't help but think of that stuff coming off the tire and into my potatoes. I think I'll go with (untreated) wooden boxes, but the idea is a GREAT one. I especially like the kicking over part at the end. ha ha, like a dirty Easter egg hunt!
The only chemical I can think of is rubber and that has never done me any harm.
This year I am growing potatoes in giant flower pots that I found discarded at a rubbish tip.
I was checking out another site for different uses for tyres and was particularly interested in the capabilities of tyres for growing fruits and vegetables. I was however alarmed when i read this, '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.
By Aussieluci'
So yeah im not so sure anymore.
That's a new one.
Usually, I hear about kevlar reinforcement in tyres.
I just googled "cadmium in tyres" and have read what you have read.
Well, I use plastic barrels now as I can't get hold of tyres anymore.
The page you refer to mentions using older tyres. Maybe a plastic sheet between the rubber and the soil would work.
It just goes to show what a mess we have made of this world.
Hey its nice information. Thank you for sharing with us.
nice post
If you are worried about tire leach then line the tires with black polythene.
just found your blog while searching for using old tyres and cadmium. this year, I decided to use them and now, nearly at harvesting i find out they can leach cadmium... now not sure whether to throw the whole lot away..
I've eaten potatoes from tyres with no ill affects.
However, I now use plastic tubs with the bottoms removed. Same method of growing no potential risks.
I would eat away and not worry. Fish is full of mercury and everything else is poisoned too.
wow,
I love potatoes.
Thanks for sharing this tip on how to grow some potatoes in a tyres...
Thanks to your post, I've been growing potatoes in tires for the last two years, with a huge learning curve. I have used both bought seed potatoes and potatoes that have gone to seed in my pantry and both have worked just as well although bought seed potatoes are guaranteed disease free. The main benefit of bought seed potatoes is you know when they are due for harvest, early middle or late. My first year I didnt know this and was disappointed when I went digging. I use both truck and car tires provided by a helpful mechanic only too happy to get rid of them. Earthing up can be a problem as it can damage the growing stalks. I use potting compost so when I dig out the spuds they are lovely and clean. I was going to use straw, apparently it works very well with tire grown spuds and they come out totally clean but my dad reminded me that mice like straw too and could be like providing room and board.. I plant a mix of waxy and floury potatoes and have just this afternoon got 10 tire stacks ready for planting this weekend. I discovered there is not much point in only planting one or two stacks as all they will supply is novelty and the supermarket will provide for the rest of the year. If I had a bigger garden I'd definitely do more. Any hints about growing carrots, last two years were a disaster :/
Thanks for your comment cinnpie. Good to see you are having success.
I don't dig up my potatoes as such. When I need one or two then I just dig down with hands and feel around for a potato of the size that I require.
In late summer, I cut off all the greenery and leave the tubers underground.
I then dig up potatoes only when they are needed.
I have never had problems with carrots. They don't like to be replanted so use plenty of fertiliser, muck, seaweed, compost or whatever, sow and hope.
I did a lot of research on tires a few years ago, when I was going to use them to re-build wash walls on canals. I discovered from an Environmental agency site that only 0.65% of the material in a tire will possibly leach,
PJ.
Great idea. You can now plant on your yard without spending money.
I love planting as well as I love eating fruits and vegetables especially potatoes. I really don't think that potatoes can be planted in tyres. That is great. Wanna try it sometime.
Last year I grew potatoes in a wire cage made of discarded fencing. I chopped the sod out of an oblong about 4 foot by 3 foot (next year will simply use a base of cardboard!) then enclosed it with wire approximately 30 inches tall. With wire cutters I'd clipped out one of the horizontal wires leaving "prongs" which were wiggled into the ground to hold the cage in place.
Then using long strips of scrap corrugated cardboard I lined the inside of the cage to a height of 8 inches above ground, put in some soil & compost and planted 5 seed taters. As the plants grew I added more scrap cardboard tucked INside the original layer with about 3 inch overlap and filled in with more soil & compost. I kept doing that all season long to a soil height of about 20 inches then topped it off with straw mulch.
At harvest time it was easy to dismantle the entire cage and find all the potatoes. It was only a bit awkward to reach over the wire cage while building up soil level and tending plants. The cardboard successfully contained the soil and didn't leak much when watered; it lasted all season and was then re-used under pathways. Next year I'll do the same but 5 plants were a bit crowded in that space; 3 would be better. Greetings from Guemes Island (northwest corner of USA).
@ Diane - That is such a good HowTo that I shall make it a standalone article when I get round to it.
Thank you.
Merry Christmas to Guemes Island.
Hey Diane,
We live on a farm in the UK which has a lot of spare tyres knocking about. I'd read about the tyre method elsewhere, then came here and found out about the cadmium problem. I think I'll combine both the tyre method with your cardboard lining idea.
I've never grown anything before; wish me luck!
I have also heard that some people use corrugated metal pipe (POTATO TUBES!) to grow spuds, though I am not sure about the height specifics, since sunlight needs to reach to the bottom of the tubes at the beginning before the hilling begins.
I've seen those load-bearing drainage tubes lying around construction sites.
But yes, light is a consideration.
This year (when the snow finally gives up!) I shall be experimenting with no-dig no-container growing using bamboo stakes and cardboard. 100% safe and 100% biodegradable.
I'll write it up as I go along.
The new style of low profile car tyres are ideal. Sealing the inside with PVA may help if one is worried about toxins.
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