Introduction & Uses for Old Tires??

[Bethanial]

I'm personally going to try them this year for tomatoes!

I saw an episode of Yard Crashers (DIY/HGTV) where the surprise building material was old tires. One of the families stacked either 2 or 3 high, strung something in the hole of that top-most one (seat), put another two on either side of that standing up(arm rests), and then did 2? standing on top of each other on a third side(back). Covered it with heavy-duty fabric, and instant outdoor comfy chair!

 

[colowyo0809]

Love the pics of the tire and goats. I was planning on doing this specifically for the goats when we get them, nice to know I'm not the only one Plus, I figure I can start now and give the chickens something else to climb over

And, if I can find enough tires I'll even try the cold frame and the composting ideas Especially the composting one, that looks rather simple and handy!

 

[FarmerJamie]

Hey LJ!!!!

Glad you could make it to the party!

 

[saraltx]

If you stack up a bunch of tires, they could make the frame for a small compost pile. I remember reading this somewhere.

 

[Ema]

wow I really enjoyed this thread...planning on a couple goats this year and I got plenty of tires, I am sure they will have some fun with the goat gym...

potato planters will be great too. thanks for sharing


Ema

 

[Cindlady2]

Just a note for people who want to make tire planters (the flower looking )ones. The instructions in the link say to use a sharp knife. A friend of mine use to make them and he used a "saws-all". I also heard of people using a jig saw. In any case you have to be careful! The steal belts can be a problem... but I think they're cool! I wish I still had mine!

 

[Kassaundra]

They are magical tomato rings as stated before. Besides..oddly enough...there are certain bugs that will NOT climb over that tire to eat your plant! It keeps water right where you want it and it does keep those roots at the right temp.

I have several tires all sizes (including a tractor tire) the boys climb all over like the goats.

I love the potato idea. Im trying potatoes for the first time and Ill use this.

I am pretty sure I need goats. I need to get fort knox fence first.

I'm doing the potato thing this year for the first time and my little plants are already over the first tire.

I have a question about the tomato thing though, if you keep water in the rim of the tire how do you control mosquitoes?

 

[Denim Deb]

You don't have the water in the tire itself, you plant past that point. But, it means that when you water the plant, the water doesn't go all over the place, but stays at the plant. That way, you don't have to use as much water to water it.

 

[patandchickens]

Two old bald car-size tires make a great "buffer" to put around a standard size water bucket, after your ram has discovered buckets make good sparring partners and has destroyed two of them in just a few days.

He still butts it occasionally but because he just softly bounces off instead of the skull-jarring BANG! he's looking for, it doesn't seem to interest him much.

Pat

 

[lwheelr]

Pa used to cut the center areas out of the tires, so that it left just the sidewalls with enough of an inner rim to hold the shape. Ma used those for planters for tomatoes, cukes, potatoes (they still stack), etc.

He used a chain saw - He was a logger, so it was natural for him to do so. But you have to be REALLY careful not to get into the steel belts (stay on the sidewalls), and it wears the chain really fast, so you have to sharpen it every half a dozen tires. Sawzall, jigsaw (fairly slow), etc, works.

Grandma had a bunch of those tire flower planters. Her's had pointed petals. Turning the tire inside out is a bear of a job.

The issue of leaching is misleading. Rubber is fairly stable in the first place. So while it DOES leach some, what it leaches is not generally harmful, but also, it is in such low quantities, and happens so slowly that you'd have to have the same soil in the same tire for about 100 years for it to have any appreciable affect on the quality of your soil, and then about another 200 years before it concentrated enough to be absorbed by the veggies.