Has anybody ever grown potatoes in tires?

[Joanne98]

Potato stacks

When I was a youngster, I used a hoe to ridge up rows and rows of potatoes, pulling the soil up around the plants to help increase their yield. I have since learned of an easier way to grow potatoes that doesn’t require any hoeing—just plant a vertical potato patch. If you are limited in space, then this method is especially beneficial. You can grow a nice crop of spuds in just a few tires. Here’s how:

Generally, a stack of four or five tires that are progressively filled with some good compost and a couple of pounds of seed potatoes will produce around 25 pounds of potatoes. A few of these stacks can provide your winter’s supply of potatoes with no problem.

To begin, pick a spot that is out of the way and perhaps out of sight where you can stack your tires. Loosen the soil just enough to allow for some drainage and place the first tire. Fill it with soil, being sure to fill the inside of the tire casing as well. Take your seed potatoes and cut them into pieces that have at least two “eyes,” or sprout buds in each piece. It doesn’t hurt to let each piece dry for a day or two before planting it. Plant three or four cut potato sets into the soil in the tire center. Cover the sets with enough soil to bring it level with the top of the opening.


http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/sanders98.html

There's a picture at the link which shows him cutting out the edge of the tire.

[Joanne98]

1. Here's a video. The sound is terrible but he says he has gotten 60 pounds

out of a stack of 5 tires...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M7qki-wp20

He doesn't cut the edges of the tires though. The other guys does.

[Joanne98]

2. Here's another video. This guy is using a bamboo fence...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flXSxrQxW9s&NR=1

[sazemisery]

3. My first attempt at potatoes and I am trying barrels

I bought 55 gallon white barrels that held carrot juice in its previous life. I drilled 1/2 inch holes in the bottom and filled it with 1 1/2 inches of gravel. I added 3 inches of compost and planted my seed potatoes (Yukon Gold, Cranberry Red and All Blue). I covered them with 2 inches of compost.

Now, as they grow I am supposed to continue to add compost until they start to bloom and then wait until the plants dies to dump the barrels and harvest.

Wish me luck!

[Joanne98]

4. Cool. Good luck. Hey are you using hay?

[sazemisery]

5. No hay here in NE Oklahoma

It gets too hot in the months of July & August to try the hay method. The potatoes don't do well.
.

[wildeyed]

7. I have two old trash cans, maybe 40 gallons, that are cracked.

I used them to haul debris from my bathroom remodel and they got damaged, but they are still in good enough shape to hold dirt as long as I didn't try to move them. Would those work? How many pounds of seed potato should I order to fill two cans? Is there a variety that is recommended for newbie potato growers?

DH *loves* potatoes, so this project would make him very happy :)

[Richard Steele]

9. You bet those will work!

Potatos need to start from the BOTTOM of the can,
so you need to place them where they'll get the best
DIRECT OVERHEAD sunlight possible at your location.
It's gonna be a while before any plants are poking above
the rim & gathering any indirect sunlight, y'know?

Put about 12 inches of good rich soil in the bottom of those cans,
bury your "seed potatos" an inch deep and six inches apart, and let
the plants fight it out to see which makes the most potatos.

Once they're 12 inches tall, add six inches of loose mulch, burying half
the plants, leaves and all.

Every time they reach 12 inches above mulch level,
bury the bottom six inches in more mulch. Keep doing
this until they flower, then leave them alone (except for
regular watering, of course)

As the flowers wither, the potatos grow. A week or two after the flowers drop off,
you can harvest "new potatos"- just stick your hand into the mulch and feel around
for small lumps.

For maximum yield, leave the mulch undisturbed and just water regularly
until the entire plant withers and dies.
Wait a week after they're all dead, because the underground root network
goes into OVERTIME feeding the potatos after the surface plant is gone.

As far as the "best seed potatos" to start with, that's a matter of opinion.
Buy a variety you enjoy eating from any reputable seller, and you'll probably
be happy with the results. You can even use potatos from a grocery store,
provided they're "organic".

(Non "organic" potatos are often sprayed with a hormone solution that prevents
them from growing "eyes" so quickly; they will grow eyes eventually, but they
won't ever grow ROOTS if you plant them. The eyes will sprout, rot and DIE.)

Personally, my "seed potatos" this year are a five-pound bag of some thin-skinned
red Peruvian variety that I bought last September at the local Farmer's Market.

Organically grown, and just tasty as all get-out. So I bought a few the last day
of the season, kept them cool, dry and dark...and they are currently COVERED
in THICK, tightly-bunched eye-sprouts.

I'm going to cut them into chunks with 2 eyes apiece, let them dry for 24 hours,
and the plant them all in 5-gallon plastic buckets.

[wildeyed]

10. So you think 5 lbs of seed potato would be about right?

I will call around to garden centers and see if I can find interesting varieties locally. Or I might just swing by Whole Foods. It is too late to mail order.

How tall total will the plants get? I can cut off part of the top of the cans to avoid blocking sunlight.

Fun project, I will let you guys know how it progresses.

[Richard Steele]

11. I'd think five pounds would be a bit too much for just 2 cans.

Of course, it all depends upon how many sprouts each potato has;
mine are just covered in shoots, so I'll be cutting them into
at least 4 "seeds" apiece. If you're starting with fresh potatos
now, you probably won't have that many by planting time, so
you might end up needing the whole five pounds. :shrug:

My potato experiment last year started late, but the plants were
still almost 4 feet from original seed to top. They seem to keep
growing taller as long as you keep burying their stems- I know
our garden potatos when I was a kid NEVER got that tall.

[hedgehog]

6. I'd be dubious bout growing a food crop in tires. I'd be worried about

chemicals leaching into the soil.

[NMDemDist2]

8. that was always my concern too n/t

[formercia]

12. I've used tires

and scrubbing the tubers before cooking cleans them up.

I found that cutting out the sidewalls works better, otherwise they collapse and reduce the space for the spuds to grow.

I've gone to using the bags that peat moss comes in. I have several every year. I roll down the sides and punch some holes for drainage.

It starts out about 8 inches high and as the plants grow, I add more soil and compost, so by fall, the container is almost 3 feet tall. I hadn't weighed the crop but the yield is better than in the garden and they can be put anywhere there is sunshine, regardless of the surface, even in the parking area.

[lazer47]

13. Plant 'em in a bale of hay, keep it fairly wet and you wont believe

how many it can produce