Tire Garden

I love building useful things from junk, like this root cellar and smoker built from old refrigerators, or this efficient dryer from a cardboard box, or even a generator from used car parts and mower engine, so it should come as no surprise to anyone that my survival garden would continue in the same tradition.

I am sure some of you are wondering what in the hell is going on here. What has Creekmore been smoking? Working on a garden in December? I have never been a procrastinator; I prefer getting chores over with as soon as possible. The quicker I get things done and over with, the sooner I am free to loaf.

Come planting time all I need to do is start the seed and transplant the seedlings to the garden area. No need to be rushed digging up the soil or working in compost etc., and by starting early I can be assured any organic matter added to the soil will be fully composted before the start of the growing season.

The dirt at the homestead kitty is hard clay and rock, the topsoil was striped away years ago by the mining company. My only option if I wanted a garden was to put in raised beds. I needed something free and permanent, using old car tires for planners made sense. I found all the tires I wanted for free and they are permanent.

After hauling the tires up to the homestead kitty, I started the generator and plugged in the jigsaw with metal cutting blade and cut out the top around the tread of each P235/75R15 tire, leaving one side of each tire intact. This side will act as a reservoir to hold water, while allowing the roots to grow through the center and into the ground under the tires.

Each P235/75R15 tire has six squire feet of growing space when you cut out one side up to the tread. A garden of seventeen tires will have a growing area of just over one hundred squire feet. Anyone who has ever worked a raised bed will tell you more produce can be grown in a smaller space, because the whole area is being used, with no wasted space for rows and the plants can be grown closer together.

I made cages from five foot tall concrete reinforcing wire with six-inch squire openings, for several of the planters. These will be used to grow tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers and squash. Large trash bags can be thrown over the top of the cages to act as a greenhouse (clear bags) or to protect the plants from frost, early in the season.

Survival 101

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