iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

growing taters in tires

Started by Part_Timer, January 15, 2007, 08:15:25 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Part_Timer

I'm going to try to grow some taters in tires this year.  I was wondering if any of you have tried this before?  I was also wondering if I needed to punch holes in the side walls to make sure that they drain well?
Peterson 8" ATS.
The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.

Coon

You shouldn't have to cut holes or nuttin'.  Just make sure the soil you set the tire on drains well and you're set.  Guess I'm not the only one with a redneck garden.  Just don't grow any kind of trees in one.  Don't ask me how I know this but I found out a nice goose berry bush will outgrow a 16 inch tire in one year. ;)
Norwood Lumbermate 2000 w/Kohler,
Husqvarna, Stihl and, Jonsereds Saws

beenthere

Poke dem holes, da air will come out..........Ya have ta keep da speed down while them taters are growing?  ???
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

SwampDonkey

Why the tires? Lots of spares? ;)  ;D
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

SwampDonkey

Since we have a thread on the moon  ;D , did ya know the tater was the first plant grown in space. ;)

A little tater tune :)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Part_Timer

SD  They are supposed to grow real well.  It is also to be better than digging them up.  Just knock the tires over and harvest.  Also just because I've never tried it before.

Coon  Not the only redneck, not even close :D :D
Peterson 8" ATS.
The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.

Engineer

Tars gives um plenty of heat.  Don't need to use dirt neither, just some old hay and straw on top of th' tar and 'taters and you got um a good place to live and grow.  :D  Got to add extra hay and maybe some grass clipings and a little compost over the season. 

What kinda taters you gonna grow?  I like the yellow fingerlings for roasting and the all-blue 'cause they make some tasty purple garlic mashed that my kids are afraid to eat.

Captain

Just how many seed potatoes do you plant in...say...one 16" truck tire??


Don K

I've always heard one good seed potato and keep adding tires and soil as the plant gets taller. By the time the plant dies back you'll have a bucket full.
Lucky to own a WM LT40HDD35, blessed to have a wife that encouraged me to buy it.     Now that\'s true love!
Massey Ferguson 1547 FWD with FEL  06 GMC Sierra 2500HD 4X4 Dozer Retriever Husky 359 20\" Bar  Man, life is getting good!

Norm

We grow lots of em but gave up on every method but raised rows. You get more from some ways but in the end it's more work for the amount of potatoes grown. On the other hand I have a huge garden so space is not a concern, if it was I'd use the tires.

We usually will eat potatoes in storage until late Febuary but the weather has been so warm that they only kept until last week. Now I have to start eating store bought.....ugggg. Jon my favorites are yukon golds and the yellow fingerlings.

sawguy21

Anybody that has not tried yukon golds is missing a treat. Mmmm,they are sweet.
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

wesdor

Several years ago we tried taters in tires, but didn't have great luck.  Not sure if we needed better soil or if it was too hot.

I second the Yukon Gold.  There are a couple of other varieties that are golden like them and are the best I've ever eaten.


scsmith42

Hmm, I've always wanted to try to grow my own taters - this might be the year.

When is the best time to plan them, and where does one obtain the seed stock?

Any other advice?  Like Norm, I am not space limited so I may opt for rows rather than tires.
Peterson 10" WPF with 65' of track
Smith - Gallagher dedicated slabber
Tom's 3638D Baker band mill
and a mix of log handling heavy equipment.

Engineer

I've always bought seed potatoes from my local feed store, they sell all kinds of nursery plants, seeds, onion sets and potatoes every spring.  However, If you don't have something like that near you, like an Agway or similar, you could always do a search for seed potatoes.  Most of the major seed companies sell limited varieties of seed potatoes, but you could also try a potato farm or specialty place.  I Googled 'seed potatoes' and came up with a place called Ronniger in Idaho that has several dozen varieties.  Check out the "Purple Peruvian"  :o  in their 'fingerlings' section.

Keep in mind, seed taters will be expensive, but a pound of seed potatoes should get you as little as five to as much as fifteen pounds of yield.  Not bad for the specialty potatoes that are tough to find in markets.  The common russets and even yukon gold can be probably bought cheaper than you can grow them (but they won't taste as good).


Mooseherder

Isn't seed stock just cut up potatoes?

Engineer

I don't think so.  ???  Most commercial potatoes that you find in the supermarket have probably been treated (unless they are organic) with a sprout inhibitor.   Seed potatoes are usually grown specifically to be seed potatoes and not for food, they are certified for disease resistance and yield.

I tried growing potatoes from some old sprouting ones I found in the basement, and they did not do very well.  Most rotted.

Fla._Deadheader


In Arkansas, we used to cut the eyes off the Taters, including some of the meat. Not real big pieces. If the Taters in the store are showing small buds in the eyes, they will grow more taters.

  The older neighbors showed us how to do that, AND eat the rest of the taters.  8) ;D :D :D  We grew LOTS of taters from Grocery store stock.  ;) ;D ;D ;D
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

Coon

I do have to say that the Yukon Golds are of the best tasting potatoes but they are not of the best keepers.  We have found that Norlands and Russets keep longer.  The best keepers I have ever found were huge purple ones I got from  the Quill Lake Hutterite Colony.  Those potatoes stayed firm all winter and we put the last ones in the ground in the spring.  I don't know what the name of the variety was though.

Norwood Lumbermate 2000 w/Kohler,
Husqvarna, Stihl and, Jonsereds Saws

Onthesauk

For those of you who like Yukon Gold, might try to find Yellow Finn.  Fewer places carry them, I'm down to one Co-op where I can still get them.  But I think they're better then any of the yellow potatoes and store much better.  The commercial growers don't like them because they aren't consistent in size.

I will use left over storage potatoes for one or two years but then try to find the certified tubors to prevent scab or rot.  I mulch the potato patch with maple leaves every fall and till them in come Spring, very acidic and prevents scab.
John Deere 3038E
Sukuki LT-F500

Don't attribute irritating behavior to malevolence when mere stupidity will suffice as an explanation.

SwampDonkey

I like the russet varieties the best, they even make the best fries. I do like yukon gold to, but like any potato they taste better out of the field or garden. They keep best in cool cellars and out of the light. Around here and I'm sure it is the same in Maine and probably Idaho, you aren't allowed to take table stock potatoes from the store and grow them. It's a disease issue and they have to be certified or better (I think the scale goes like this: certified,foundation, elite). There are licensed/certified seed growers and seed potatoes are tested in Florida, even from up here in the tundra land. Most have sprout inhibitor in stores, but they can produce. I've never seen that treatment 100 % effective. Even if you have blight in your garden in my area, you'll be responsible to destroy the plants.

My father is a retired spud farmer of 40 years. ;)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Norm

Scott we put them in about the middle to end of April, the old tale used to be put them in after Easter but anytime through middle May will work as most are not a long season plant.

We use this place Milk Ranch Potatoes they have the best quality I've ever seen with plenty of varities. Heck of a nice guy too.

footer

We grew tons of potatoes on the farm when I was younger. We tried the tire thing one year to see how it worked. The plant grew good, but By the end of the season, went and knocked them down to find nothing but dirt. No potatoes. It maybe that the tires soaked up too much heat from the sun. Don't know other than I never tried it again.

scgargoyle

This HAS to be a Red Green episode! What kind of tire works best? Do you prefer radial taters or belted? I think I prefer Dunlap- I et so many taters, my belly Dunlap over my belt! We grew taters under straw one year- just through the pieces on the ground, and bury in lots of hay. We got a lot of taters that year.
I hope my ship comes in before the dock rots!

Fla._Deadheader


   :D :D :D :D :D Dunlaps  :D :D :D :D :D
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

farmerdoug

You guys forgot the duct tape to hold the tires together also.  ;) No upstanding RedGreener would leave out the duct tape.  ::) After all it is the handyman's best friend. :D :D :D

I wonder if the deer could figure out the trick to knocking over the tires and harvesting them.  :-\ They sure are good at digging potatoes, beets and carrots around here.

Farmerdoug
Doug
Truck Farmer/Greenhouse grower
2001 LT40HDD42 Super with Command Control and AccuSet, 42 hp Kubota diesel
Fargo, MI

SwampDonkey

Dang ravens dig at the taters around here, but I never had any bother the garden. They seem to know what's mine and what's theirs. Actually I gave up on the taters a couple years ago, too many bugs. ;)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Patty

We tried the straw thing one year also...the mice came in and ate the potatoes.  >:(   Mice are probably the worst pest we have for potatoes, right after the bugs.  ::)
Women are Angels.
And when someone breaks our wings....
We simply continue to fly ........
on a broomstick.....
We are flexible like that.

Burlkraft

Norm..Thanks for the link. Looks like good tater store.... ;D ;D

I grow mine in that 4' plastic construction fence and start mulching them when they come up. It works pretty good. The part I like is cuttin' the ties and watchin' the taters roll out.... :o   :o   :o
Why not just 1 pain free day?

Part_Timer

Thanks guys there are a lot of good ideas here,  We were wondering if instead of straw I could use the sawdust from the pines I'm going to try and get cut this winter?
Peterson 8" ATS.
The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.

scsmith42

All - thanks for the great info.  My mouth is already watering?

I think that I read a comment that potatoe's like acidic soil?  If so, I'm in good shape.

Scott
Peterson 10" WPF with 65' of track
Smith - Gallagher dedicated slabber
Tom's 3638D Baker band mill
and a mix of log handling heavy equipment.

Coon

Softwood sawdust is to acidic, or atleast spruce sawdust is until it has rotted for atleast 5 years.  We been there tried that and fell victim to buying the spuds at the farmers markets and paying twice what they were worth.  Nice taters though.

Red Green would have wrapped the tire with duct tape to reflect the heat away. :D :D

I grew up at SPUD JUNCTION:  Home of the Hillbilly Spud Grower.  We used to plow trenches with a home built tater plow and drop em in da trench then go back and cover the trenches over.  We used to have a huge family work beeeee every spring and fall during seeding and harvesting.  The largest we ever had was in the neighborhood of 50,000 hills.

If you want good spud beetle control  mist your plants down with water and then dust with a mixture of flour and  ground black pepper.  The flour plugs up the bugs and the pepper burns their guts out. 

Norwood Lumbermate 2000 w/Kohler,
Husqvarna, Stihl and, Jonsereds Saws

SwampDonkey

PH of 5.0-5.5 is optimum. Remember, up here in the spud belt the bedrock is calcareous (shales, limestone, slates) and we still have to use lime.  ::)

I think you should experiment. Grow some in your tires and grow some in a little hill. See which does best. The straw is going to attract the mice and field rats. Even without straw and growing in hills, mice will build their nest next to the stem of the potato for maximum watershed.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

RSteiner

Haven't tried taters in tires but last year we had a nice crop of tomatoes cucumbers and squash from our tire garden.

In the spring my wife wanted me to dig up part of the lawn on top of a stone retaining wall so she could plant some transplants she had.  The soil underneath was just sandy fill so I told her I had an idea.  I got half a dozen tires and a couple of scoops with the FEL from the compost pile and she had several round raised bed gardens.

They did very well.  Tomatoes were easy to stake and the cucumbers ran down over the wall and were easy to pick from the lower side. 

Randy
Randy

JAMES G

Red green would say call rothschild sewage and septic tank sucking  services for good fertilizer. Woo that was a double flusher 

farmerdoug

RedGreen would also call them at harvest time to suck up all the dirt for easier harvesting too. ;D

Farmerdoug
Doug
Truck Farmer/Greenhouse grower
2001 LT40HDD42 Super with Command Control and AccuSet, 42 hp Kubota diesel
Fargo, MI

OneWithWood

Tried the taters in the tire thing once.  The wasps that took up residence in the tires (yes we filled them full to start with) made it too unpleasant to harvest.  Raised beds are preferrable.
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

farmerdoug

Kid:  Ma,  I do not like taters.
Ma: Why do you not like taters.
Kid: Because they sting.
Ma: Taters do not sting.
Kid: Yes they do.  I went out with pa to get the taters.  Pa pushed over the taters tires and told me to pick up the taters.  I started and then they started stinging me.  I looked and pa was running away fast.  So yes, taters do sting, Ma.

;D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
Doug
Truck Farmer/Greenhouse grower
2001 LT40HDD42 Super with Command Control and AccuSet, 42 hp Kubota diesel
Fargo, MI

maple flats

We tried the tire thing several years ago and were dissappointed, almost no taters. If I remember right I think we thought we should have cut a few drain holes in the sidewalls facing down to keep the water drained better, we had some rotting.
logging small time for years but just learning how,  2012 36 HP Mahindra tractor, 3point log arch, 8000# class excavator, lifts 2500# and sets logs on mill precisely where needed, Woodland Mills HM130Max , maple syrup a hobby that consumes my time. looking to learn blacksmithing.

Thank You Sponsors!