Anyone ever grow tomotos in tires?

[seedspreader]

So I am growing tomatos in tires this year, not because I have to, but because I want to.

Anyone did it before? How were your results??? I will let you know how things come out.

[comfortablynumb]

I used to, then i discovered old dryer drums... even better!

[marvella]

i have, they work great. they hold heat, but also hold water. think of when you leave one laying around and how hard it is to get all the water out. same thing- the tomatoes will thrive in them when everything else is dying of thirst.

[WanderingOak]

I have heard tell that heavy metals, cadmium in particular, are used in tire manufacture. Tires used in this fashion leach contaminants into the soil, which are then transfered to whatever is growing in them. I guess it all depends on what you want in your food....

[TxCloverAngel]

My father-in-law wouldn't grow them in anything BUT tires!
Tomatoes & hot peppers lined his driveway, each plant in a tire...

You might be a redneck if.......

[wvpeach1963]

My neighbor well into his eighties grows beautiful tomatoes every year in tires.

For the same reasons as stated in the above posts.

I believe you'll be happy with the results.

[fordson major]

over 30 years! also pumpkins, squash and potatoes ! potatoes you stack the tires as they grow and add dirt. help in wet years too.

[Jillis]

Originally Posted by WanderingOak

I have heard tell that heavy metals, cadmium in particular, are used in tire manufacture. Tires used in this fashion leach contaminants into the soil, which are then transfered to whatever is growing in them. I guess it all depends on what you want in your food....

I did a lot of research in this, WO, as I live in a state with late Spring and early Fall frosts, cool temps and very short growing season. Most gardens are soooo big that using that many tires isn't feasible. Nevertheless, a lot do use them.

What I found out from various sites and articles was that the shredded tires they were starting to use for an indestructable mulch DID leach all those heavy metals but that intact tires used as "planters" (for lack of a better word---growing aids?) do NOT leach the heavy metals. Use them in peace!

They definitely help to increase the size, health, and yield of what is grown in them. They keep the plants warmer, more hydrated, and the tires even radiate heat well into the night. Little solar collectors, if you will.

Last year, even just using the black plastic mulch helped me to have peppers and eggplants when none of my friends got any...it reflects the heat...

[Mountaineer]

You know- it probably isn't proven, but I won't because I'm not sure about crap the tires exude.
The permaculture book highly reccomends them, and it does 'make sense', I just won't around here.

[turtlehead]

Originally Posted by ford major

potatoes you stack the tires as they grow and add dirt. help in wet years too.

What kind of potatoes do you grow this way, Fordy? I was going to try something similar with my potatoes this year (Yukon Gold, Red Pontiac, and Kennebec) but the articles I found said that you should grow fingerlings this way, not regular "big" potatoes.

[fordson major]

ours are mainly irish cobbler , use a lot as baby potatoes . we have tight clay soil so any size is good !! neighbour with lighter land grows good taters cheap so don't mess with most keepers

[MTNwomanAR]

I have only tried one thing in tires, and that was yellow squash...........I think I planted like 3-4 seeds.........I had yellow squash coming out my ears!!! The plants were HUGE! They spread out about 3-4 feet around the tire...I kept my last set of tires off of my car, so that I can plant some other things in them. I have my lillies, calla lillies, and some irises planted in tires....
Farmer Joe, I don't see that it could be any worse than what is ALready in our food? ya think??? At least with growing your own, you would know what WASN'T in it..............

[HeavenHelpMe]

I'm doing tomatoes and zucchini in tires. The zucchini plants are so big, they look like jungle plants. It's amazing! The tomatoes are doing very well also. I put too many plants in each, though, so it's getting crowded. Cutting the suckers off has helped. Now, it's all about how good of a yeild I get from each huge plant. Heavy metal leaching is said to be nominal, so I'm not going to worry about it. If you got the veggies in the grocery you'd get a heck of a lot worse.

[frazzlehead]

I've done potatoes in a bucket, but haven't tried a tire yet. When I get the garden in, I'll give it a shot - not much point planting things for the deer to eat, so I'll have to wait a bit.

As an aside, I've heard of using tires to help keep stock water from freezing on chilly days: you take a tire, put rocks inside it (to hold the heat) and then squish a black rubber bucket into the tire. Fill bucket with water. The sunshine on the tire plus the rocks plus the rubber bucket warms things up and helps hold the heat during the evening, so the water doesn't freeze. I'm gonna try this during the winter for my newly acquired sheep!

[SteveD(TX)]

Tried it once. They came out a bit rubbery.

[Egggal]

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[heather]

http://www.echonet.org/rooftop.htm

This organization is one we've been involved in for many years.
They encourage tire gardens & have had great success over the years in all parts of the world!