HELP ‘Gardening with tires’

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dealrocker CA, United States Apr 03, 2009

Hi all,
I love gardening and planing to use old tires for container gardening.
Please suggest me gardening with tires is really bad for environment or not.

Post #6358169
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glendalekid Tuscaloosa, AL(Zone 7b) Apr 03, 2009

As far as I know using old tires for garden containers is not bad for the environment. People have been using them for decades, probably as long as there have been old tires to use.

Here are some links on making decorative planters from them:

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf001318.tip.html
http://www.wuvie.net/tireplanter.htm

Tropical bird planters:
http://www.ponyswings.com/tropical_bird_planters.htm

This one is from Penn State University, which indicates no environmental problem. It also has great step-by-step photos:

http://mercer.extension.psu.edu/Horticulture/TirePlanter.htm

Apparently, it's important to choose the right tire with a soft sidewall. This one has a good explanation of that:
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/virtually_gardening/78343

However, you can just spray paint and plant them, too. I would have to do that as I doubt I am strong enough to make them into planters.

Since tire dealers have to pay a recycling fee to get rid of them, you can probably get all you want for free.



Hope this helps,

Karen



Post #6358740
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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Apr 03, 2009

I would avoid using them for veggies that you plan to eat since some of the chemicals from the rubber could leach into the soil, but for ornamentals there's no reason you couldn't use them. And in a way it's better for the environment because you're reusing something that would get thrown out otherwise.

Post #6358779
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Apr 07, 2009

glendalekid Thanks for those great links. I sent them off to my daughter.

Post #6375839
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glendalekid Tuscaloosa, AL(Zone 7b) Apr 07, 2009

blomma,

I hope she enjoys them. I think they look really neat, but I doubt I have the muscles to pull the tire inside out.

Karen

Post #6376831
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Wulfsden Riverdale, NJ(Zone 6a) Apr 17, 2009

There is a technique for using a pile of tires to produce tons of potatoes in almost no space. I keep meaning to try it, but it something always comes up.

Post #6422428
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