People really listen to the EPA and believe them? The EPA? The same EPA that pulled that garbage with the couple in Idaho? I asked an old farmer about growing in tires. Please note that tires now are not the 100% same tires that were used 40 years ago. But it does make me question when studies state that shredded tires used for mulch is toxic yet growing food in them is not. But then the EPA also doesn't see much wrong with Monsanto.
OK, I want to try this potato tower idea but I have few questiions: 1. In general, any method of containing the growing medium should work to create a tower; i.e. wire, tin, wood, etc. It seems that the discussion about tires suggests that treated lumber and tires could be hazardous, but generally, any scrap lumber or chicken wire containment system will work? 2. We feed horses and goats and always have lots of hay that falls on the floor of the barn that we toss out into the field as "lost" because it won't stay in a feeder so we just pitch it on the ground for the animals to eat or not. I'm thinkiing that I could mix this with dirt/manure from the barn for seed bed/organic compound as a growing medium? 3. Plain ol' store bought taters; cut, held for a day or two and then planted should work just as well as potato sets from Walmart? 4. Is this correct? a. create form and fill with growing medium b. plant sets and when they spout above medium add more sets/seed and dirt with another layer of form and growing medium c. continue to three or four feet in height adding layers 5. How do you harvest from the bottom layer without disturbing the middle and upper layers? I love taters and would like to use this idea but I am having trouble getting my head around the method. Please advise...
tires are only banned from the landfill if they are hole... if you cut the tires in half {making 2 donuts } they will accept them ... for some reason when they are hole the always resurface for some reason ...dont know y but its the truth,,,... when u work for acompany that has a hole bunch of tires they need to get rid of you quickly find out what u can and cant do with them .... as for the toxics .. i think it is possible but can be cleaned ... just find out how they clean them to make the play ground mulch
Usually potatoes from the store have been treated with a inhibitor. Go to a market store that sells organic or seed potatoes. We use tires with wire under and dirt inside to grow our tomatoes to keep the voles form eating the roots or others wise killing them. We have done this for gadssss since the 80's.
Noticed yesterday that there's a tater sprout or 2 poking up out of one of my tires. The Yukon Gold taters are the first to sprout, it looks like. I also planted some in the ground and they're sprouting also. I've got one of the Purple taters sprouted, in the ground. Looking promising, so far! Kajun
I'm with ditch witch. I have had my best crops with hay bale beds. The roots go deep and stay cool, the spuds grow above ground in the hay and are clean. Just lift the Hay over burden, with a pitch fork, and watch out for snakes, pick up clean spudds for the table.
Remember not all potatoes do well in a tower you keep adding to Potomac reds do okay and a couple of other finglerlings also that I can remember. I know there is a place on the web that says.
Finally got a pic of my tater towers. Right now, they aren't much of a "tower", being only 1 tire! LOL Anywho, if you look to the right of the right tire, you can see one of the Adirondack Purples I planted in the ground. Yeah, I only got 5 seed taters in each tire and didn't want to waste the rest, so I planted them in the ground. Should be a good comparison.
My advice....grow potatoes EVERYWHERE. Buy a 100lbs bag, spread'em out, get some eyes and start digging holes. Tires, bags, boxes, empty beer boxes, fishing holes, gardens around banks... Here's my VR.
I grow mine in 5 gallon buckets with pretty good success. I'm thinking of switching to half barrels next year.
