[Declan]

I have seen these grow bag things that you can grow potatoes in. As they grow you gradually fill up the bag more.. you know the thing.
I am just wondering if you could use old tyres to do the same thing. Say use two tyres on top of each other and as the potato plant grows you could "earth up" by adding another tyre and filling with soil.  A farmer close by has loads of old tyres (to keep his silage pit plastic covered)- as the year goes on he needs less and less of them as he uses up the silage.  Would this work or does anybody foresee any problems- indeed the tyres would even retian moisture as the water would permeate into the sides?

Any ideas or suggestions please? 

[xnbacon]

OH swears the tyre thing works, but I've yet to see him do it!

[HappyHippy]

I've not done it myself yet - I used old compost bags last year and just rolled the tops down, then as they needed earthed up I unrolled the top and added compost.
It's the same principle for tyres, which I'm planning to use this year - I'm certain I've seen it done on TV, but can't for the life of me remember which programme

[Jackie]

OH yes this is a great way to grow spuds, and a few other crops. 

Layer soil newspaper straw and compost and try and get as many tyres as you can stacked up, add a few slug pellets along the way too.

[Declan]

Folks,

Thanks for the adivce so far- keep it coming. Jackie, what other crops are you talking about?

[doganjo]

That gardener on TV does it - Bob Featherdew (??) -lovely chap with a ponytail.  I think one programme he had his kids helping.

[RUSTYME]

an  easy way to grow potatoes ?? 
First you collect old tyres.
Carry said tyres to where you want them to be .
 Then you start to fill them with expensive bought in compost ? so you carry in bags of heavy compost and put it in the tyre.
 Place spuds in the tyres and start to build up the stack . In the end you could be putting tyres quite high on top of each other !!
 very heavy tyres and lots of lifting and pouring of compost !!! Lots of water too...then when they are ready to be harvested you start to pull down the stack  !!
 Now you have VERY heavy tyres filled with wet compost , which you place on the floor and empty out , so you are now at the same level as you would be if you grew them in the soil in the first place !!!  plus you have a load of compost to clear up afterwards.
 MMMMM !!!! me thinks I will carry on digging, and plant them in the soil , so much less work !!! Plus my veggie plot won't look like an old scrap yard !! 


cheers

Russ

[sagehen]

Like Happyhippy, I use old compost bags for spuds. Worked a treat, although a few bags were affected by blight (my outdoor toms were affected as well). I don't use the tyre method because I'm paranoid about chemicals in the tyres leaching into the soil.

[Wizard]

I think I posted this before.I use empty 25 ltr; spray drums I don't worry about leeching and such like I don't support the Greenie/ Organic movement at all.I just don't believe it.I cut the top off with a jigsaw drill a few holes a inch and a half up from the bottom and put some rubble in to just above the holes.I go and collect a barrow full of molehills and mix with a 75 ltr bag of compost mixing in some 10-7-10 fertilizer I put about 8/9" of this on top of the rubble place a Lady Crystl seed in the middle and heap a 4" pile of mixture over it as the potato grows I fill up the drum with the molehill mix until the drum is full I supply the drum with water every day.You must not swamp the drum potato's like a lot of water but not drowned  hence the 11/2" holes up the sides.Works a treat up the fence side.Since I have no garden.

[xnbacon]

Why molehills?  Are they particularly fertile or just available?

[Wizard]

Just handy I dont need to exert myself and its all riddled and nice loose soil mixes great with no lumps George

[pottsie]

I tried old 1 tonne dumpy sacks that builders get there sand and stuff delivered in, they worked great for potatoes, beetroot, carrots, spring onions and even salads. The best thing is, builders can't give them away quick enough and they last for years.

Rob  .

[doganjo]

Now thats an idea - I have one of them - and a big mound of earth spoil from building the cobservatory.  Just need to move one towards the other till they meet!
 

[pottsie]

If your doing potatoes you can take it easy by filing it quarter full then when it starts to grow add more and more soil, that will act as if you were banking up and increase the amount of spuds you get.

Good lock Rob .

[little blue]

That gardener on TV does it - Bob Featherdew (??) -lovely chap with a ponytail. 

Flowerdew!