Growing potatoes in tires are seems to be different but it’s a controversial subject in gardening. Its looks as a marmite community, either love or hate it’s your choice! In this post we are providing information about how to grow potatoes in tires so you can breed more food in less space.
Potatoes don’t require large space in order to breed them effectively. If you have a space of about car tire to place flat on the ground. You can get four to five potato plants with large amount of potato on them. Use easy following instructions to make planter out of tires.
Supplies
To complete this recipe you need it:
- 4 car tires
- Required topsoil to fill the interior of the tires when stack four high.
- 2 seed potatoes.
Planter construction
The planter construction in many stages over the course of the growing season as the potato plants grow.
Also Read: How to Grow Sweet Potatoes?
Building the planter foundation
- Select the area where the sunlight will get at least 6 to 7 hours each day.
- Keep the single tire in that area
- Fill the topsoil inside the tire up to rim
- Planting the potatoes
- Cut two seed potatoes into thirds, be sure each potato has diverse eyes on it.
- Plant the cut pieces of potato inside the tire around the edges, spacing them equally. Place the potato pieces as eye side faces up.
Adding a tire
- Place one more tire on the top of the first tire.
- Add dirt and compost to this tire interior, as the plant grows.
- Retain the plants covered with dirt, as like 4 to 5 leaves showing in the planter.
Continue adding tires as needed
- Add one more tire to potato plants when they reach the top of second one.
- Simultaneously, adding dirt to tires to cover the 4 to 5 leaves of potato plants.
- If necessary add the fourth tire to it.
Is it safe to grow potatoes in tries?
Although this seems to be a truly organic viable idea (growing potatoes in tires), this idea does not sound “good” if you are responsible for recycling a pile of tires. My cousin brother and I often talk about this issue. “Oh yes,” I replied, “My father planted many pounds of potatoes with previous tires!””Let’s go,” he said, “I will find him.” In fact, he brought me yesterday. So, I am studying and writing this article, and I am considering planting potatoes again. On the tires, once and for all. I don’t know why, but I want to ignore this concept and move on. This is a personal choice. Here are some reasonable ideas about growing mature potatoes…
In the short term, yes, tire planters are good, although the soil in black tire planters may be hotter than most plants want. In the long run, no, because tire rubber will slowly degrade and release carcinogenic zinc polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. (Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and other toxic compounds in the soil.
Also Read: How to Grow Organic Potatoes in Your Garden
Why grow potatoes in tires?
- In urban areas tires are readily available to most people and in many places for disposing you have to pay for them.
- It is easy to stack tires in a great way to grow potatoes, if necessary keep adding tires on top at the time the leafy stalks grow up over the tire.
- Most of the permaculture gardens and sites are using tires as pathway compost, building material, and many other things.
- Tires are able to keep water, soil, and mulch when it can be used as potato towers, worm farms, flowers, chicken dust bath, herb gardens and so on. It is also cheap and easy to come by plus at that time you can paint it.
Why not to grow potatoes in tires?
- There are many adverse information about the safety and the gases evolved when it break down in which heavy metals might be present. As we mentioned below.
- As we know the tires are manufactured with hazardous chemicals and they are maintained the OSHA standards which is applicable for safety to those manufacturing the tires. But we don’t have a lot well documented studies about the category if they are safe or not.
- I have heard from few people who says that the potatoes taste of tires too. Finally you will decide to take a chance of potential for hazardous material draining into the soil and your food.
How to harvest potatoes grown in tires?
Once the leaves (called stems) turn yellow and start to die, you can use a large tarp to remove the tires and compost to collect compost and potatoes. The potato tubers should be in the lower tires and are easy to find on your hand. After the potatoes are harvested, you need to pickle them before storing them for the winter.
Storing the potatoes
- Pull out the plants from the ground and separate the potatoes from roots of the plant.
- Wash them gently.
- In a cool and dark place spread them into one layer to dry.
- Place it in dry and cool place to store up to 5 months.
Tire potatoes growing tips
- Use only a certified potatoes seeds to become a disease free. If you want to introduce potatoes in your garden only use certified seeds of potatoes which are often sold at nurseries and feed stores.
- From grocery store don’t bought potatoes because they sprayed to keep them for sprouting and it will not yield a better crop.
- Water the potatoes twice a week. Ensure that it will reach all the way bottom of the tire. So then the roots are don’t dry out.
- From the average last frost plant the potatoes about six week before the date. When they showed up in kindergartens and grocery stores near you.
A Recycled Raised Bed
A tire planter is a good source to raise potatoes. It retains the effort of having dig trenches and potatoes contained while they grow easily with recycling the tires. Construct a number of beds for your family to grow potatoes in less expenses i.e., dirt and seed potatoes. Best of luck for growing potatoes in the green way.