Several months ago I began the experiment of growing potatoes in recycled tires. It seemed like a good, logical idea. Growing potatoes requires occasional mounding of the soil as the green stalks grow, resulting in more potatoes. So why not do this in a very linear way while re-using old tires at the same time?
I should put it out there that I have never grown potatoes before. They seemed like a lot of work and a lot of space for something that I couldn’t imagine tasting that much differently than what I buy at the store. In that last point, I have been proven wrong. Homegrown potatoes are delightful. They have a rich, buttery , earthy flavor that makes you realize the ones from the commercial stores have no flavor, just texture. If I could to not grown my own potatoes next year, I will surely be buying some from local farms instead.
There were five different varieties of potatoes that I planted this past Spring, with two stacks of tires for each variety. The ten tire stacks, which got only about three tires high, made a nice quirky division in the garden between the patio and the food forest. I only went three tire stacks high mostly out of laziness. Once June and July rolled around, my time was so focused on other areas that I didn’t tend the stacks as well with adding more soil and tires as those green stalks grew up. I also didn’t make a point of watering the stacks. I had them filled with mulch (straw, dirt, wood chips), so I just assumed water from the occasional rains would hold longer in there.
All that said about my mild neglect, my harvest was quite lackluster. Here is my diligent recording of the average harvest (between the two stacks for each variety) from planting 2-3 seed potatoes per tire stack:
- Yukon Golds: 3 1/2-4 1/2 pound yield
- All Blue: 1 1/2 – 2 pound yield
- Russet: 4-5 pound yield
- Red La Soda: 4 pound yield
- Russian Fingerling: 1/2 pound yield
The Russets were the most prolific, and the fingerlings the least. The fingerling potatoes were also the ones I was most excited about so I was sad to see such a scrawny bounty. But perhaps they are generally less heavy on yields than Russets anyways? Although I have never grown potatoes before, I would guess this is a pretty pathetic harvest so I can’t say I really recommend growing potatoes in tires.
If I could do it over again, it would be worth a more scientific experiment. Perhaps growing half in mounds and the other half in tires, then comparing the harvest. Maybe I should have watered, but I thought the mulch material I had in the stacks would help keep water in. I also advise against using straw. My tire stacks used straw, wood chips and dirt in different places, but the straw seemed to have a higher likelihood of rot.
Our basement still has several bags of potatoes, which is exciting since I probably only spent a couple bucks on all the potato seeds. We used some in a dinner this weekend and they tasted fabulous. The flowers this summer were lovely in the garden. But all that said, they did take up a lot of room and maybe those tires would work better for planting heat-loving veggies instead, like peppers and eggplants.
I would love to hear your experiences with different growing methods as well and thanks for being patient while I found the motivation to harvest these taters! Perhaps next summer there will be more in store.
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So glad to hear about the potato stack experiment… Good insight and details shared. I’m wondering if more water would have helped, as I would think the tires would heat up the soil more and tend to dry it out a bit. I’ll definitely take your experience into account when I try potatoes next year. I think I’ll utilize your suggestion and do a comparison (mounds vs tires).
Glad you got the harvest you did!
I’m curious what the thoughts are about growing organically in old petroleum-based rubber tires? I thought at first it was a logical idea, but when you think about all of the chemicals and materials used in the production of tires it seems to totally erase any organic pursuits. I can’t think of a product exposed to more potential toxins than old tires. Just a thought and I’m curious to see what the counter arguments are.
Patrick, I did wash the tires with warm soapy water prior to using because I was concerned about oil residue. After doing some desktop research last Spring, I didn’t find anything saying it was toxic to grow food in old tires. Not saying it is or isn’t, but so far I haven’t seen anything warning against it.
This was a year of firsts for me. I harvested our tater tires over the weekend. It was a big disappointment. The potatoes only grew at bottom level, not throughout the stack of three tires as several sources said they would. The potatoes were huge, but only enough for one meal for my family of six. Last night, I steamed them and made German Potato Salad. Now I have these ugly tires in the yard (they seem to look uglier w/o a good harvest.
I’m sure I’d have a different attitude if the yield was better.) I guess I’ll use them for squash or something next year.
One big perk I noticed was the yard material I put in the tires turned into the best dirt I’ve seen. Worms galore working hard….our chickens enjoyed scratching through the dirt to feast on the worms.
Michaela, sorry you didn’t get a great harvest either! I am thinking tomatoes would be good in the tire stacks, since they grow straight up and the cages will fit well in the middle. My dirt looked stellar as well!
Going to have to agree with Patrick, I don’t think it is healthy to grow plants in tire containers. It’s a cool concept, but tires must put toxic crap into the soil. I might be wrong, but here is what I found on a quick search:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Ask-Our-Experts/Organic-Gardening/Tire-Planters-And-Garden-Soil.aspx
Might not be an issue, but why risk it when you don’t have to?
Thanks for the link Marc – I love Mother Earth News! They say it’s ok for short-term, but not advised for long-term plantings. Even on their comments there seems be a lively discussion for and against.
Mine didn’t work either….I think it’s a crock! Since I did this I haven’t met anyone who it worked for….hmmm. Tired tater conspiracy?
It sounds to me like maybe the mulch produced too much nitrogen? Straw tends to do so, especially in the heat of a tire, I would think. Too much nitrogen means lots of green growth, and not much in the way of tubers.
I see this was posted November. I guess you waited good and long for harvest. What a bummer!!
Yeah, I’d be tempted to forgo all the trouble and buy the taters from the market!
I had simular results with the tires. HUGE ones in the bottom, and not much else.
My dad used to get much better results, though. I think I remember he covered the new shoots with dirt, leaving only an inch out instead of 4 or more inches. I think this supports root growth better than burying a stalk that already has leaves growing out of it. I’m going to try it again this year.
thanks for sharing your experience. I’m looking for some motivation!