Joefreckles, I haven't used tires before but have heard that it works. Other discussion threads on this forum (e.g. "potato varieties for bins') make it clear that it is very important that you don't use early varieties for a tower or bin b/c they only set potatoes at the bottom. Instead, use a late variety such as yellow fin or bintje or red pontiac. All the best! Bob

Thanks to all for the compliments. I will try to answer the questions but if I miss one, just ask me again. First let me explain that what you see here are not tires but the tread of tires. Both sidewalls have been cut out leaving nothing but the road or surface contact area. They are in sitting on the dirt because most of them were in place and in use before I put the pavers in and the ones added since have had the pavers removed, the tires placed and then the pavers replaced. If you look at the front left of the photo you will see 2 empty tires. The one just in front and the one just past them has baby carrots growing now. If you look to the right center of the photo, you will see an unpainted black tire. It has regular carrots growing in it so you can see that root length is not a problem if done my way. The unpainted tire, by the way, is a large pickup tire and the tread is about 11" across. I removed the pavers and dug a hole deep enough to bury all but about four inches. Also, by doing it my way, the normal capillary action seems to remain somewhat intact. Too much water and it soaks into the ground; too little and it evaporates up thru the tire area. Two more pluses. Sidewalls and flexibility. The cut out side walls make excellent trim rings for anything you might want to plant directly in the ground. They give you a nice open center for watering or feeding and they give you a nice boundary around the plant to keep out weeds, weed eaters and lawn mowers. They can be painted too. Flexibility. If you don't like them round, you can bend them into ovals or hearts or even almost square and if you don't like the tread pattern showing, you can turn them inside out and have an almost smooth surface. The brown one on the right behind the 2 white pots is an example of this. Finally, I painted them just for appearance. I used them for years before I put in the pavers and never really noticed a heat or evaporation problem.

I am thinking about building some raised beds out of used tires. My yard does not flood every year but is in a low area that can at times lose the whole garden. I want to experiment with a few plants first before I get my hands on a bunch of tires. I thought a couple tomato plants in raised beds around knee to waist high. I am also thinking of starting a strawberry patch in used tires about waist high stacked against each other to form a rectangular bed and then fill in dirt in all the voids. I am wondering if the black tires will get too hot for these plants. I have full sun areas of my yard where these will be put and I live in central Iowa. Also I am wondering how much more water they will need. Anyone have any experience with this? Pros? Cons? Thanks

We did this but our apple tree branch is in easy reach. It sounds like you need a ladder, or ask a tree-trimmer or window washer with a long ladder to come in and do it for you. If the branch is not too high you can tie something heavy to a light messenger line at least twice as long as the height of the branch. Maybe a kite string or butcher twine. Then throw the object up over the branch, with the line trailing behind it. This rather frustrating activity usually appeals to the male parent of the grandchild. Now tie the real rope to the messenger and pull it over. But the friction from a single rope over the branch can cause some damage to the branch. You can use the messenger line again to get several wraps around the branch to help spread the load. Nylon ropes have a lot of stretch -- up to 50% depending on how they are made. So you should plan on having to adjust the height frequently. It is a good choice, though, because it will absorb shocks well and resists mildew and rot. Here is a link that might be useful: Making a tire swing