Topic: Potatoes in tyres

[philistine]

I plan to grow potatoes in some tyres this year in order to maximize yields as I stack the tyres I need to choose
a variety of potato that will form tubers higher up the stems as it grows. Any suggestions ?

[gavinjconway]

Any potato grows like that.. that is why you need to earth them up.

[Chrispy]

Tires - Toxins - 

[Floyds]

I plan to grow potatoes in some tyres this year in order to maximize yields as I stack the tyres I need to choose
a variety of potato that will form tubers higher up the stems as it grows. Any suggestions ?

As gavinjconway has said all potatoes form most of their tubers just below where the haulm meets the soil. You tend not to notice it by earthing then up but if you grow them under black polythene then you can see that most of them are lying on the surface when you lift the polythene and only a few are buried.
If you are asking whether there is a spud that will constantly set new tubers to occupy the new soil you put on top then no there aren't any to my knowledge.

[Digeroo]

Tires - Toxins

  I wondered about this as well.   

http://puyallup.wsu.edu/~linda%20chalker-scott/horticultural%20myths_files/Myths/Rubber%20mulch.pdf

I do not like the sound of the precancerous lesions.

What are the advantages of the tyres.   They also take up quite a lot of space.

Ps do not forget to remove the car first. 

[boydzfish]

When I first took over my plot (half plot) the previous owner had planted potatoes and I spent most of the first two years digging up ones he had missed that had started growing. I did try a row of earlies one year but didn't get much joy and for what I paid for the seed potatoes decided it was better to just buy them from the local farmer - he doesn't spray his potatoes with anything. The biggest issue was earthing up I just didn't have the space to do more than one row and the other crops were so close there wasn't enough earth to pull against the haulms

I did toy with the idea of getting a couple of potato 'bags' and growing them in these this year where my old strawberry patch was but haven't done so. I am also top of the list for another half plot so may change my mind when I have more room to grow stuff, though I still think container growing is the best option for all apart from maincrop varieties. I did also wonder about the 'under polythene' system where you pull back the poly and pick them up from the ground (Basically I am just a lazy sod looking for the easy way out!!) .

[GREGME]

Hi in response to last post  I just think you may have been unlucky so far- give them another go - early potatoes are very rewarding- very thin skins straight out of the ground and hard as bullets - delicious if cooked same day. As for earthing up if it's a problem then just plant them deeper or use a cheap mulch/grass cuttings/newspaper to earth up.

[Paul.and.Lynda]

Before we got the allotment, we tried to grow potatoes in the bags.
Unfortunately our potatoes produced enough potatoes for 2 people for 1 meal. We then gave up on that idea and got rid of the bags. 

Now we have an allotment we are in the process of digging over the beds for the spuds to go in and fingers crossed for a bumper harvest later this year 

Paul

[Ellen K]

One of my plot neighbours does the tyre thing.  It does not produce good results with, well most things, possibly because the tyres get very hot in the sun and cold at night so the soil temperature temperature is too variable.

Tyres are one of those things that are sometimes banned on allotments because their disposal is expensive - so when a tenant leaves them behind, it's a problem that the next tenant inherits.

[philistine]

This might be useful to some of you the video is quite long  http://www.kenoshapotato.com/  however it does suggest some varieties are better at producing
tubers higher up the stem than others therefore giving better yields. I just need to which uk varieties are best.

[Jayb]

 If you are looking for ones to grow in say a tower of tyres, then I think you’re looking for indeterminate potato varieties, which will keep on producing tubers up the stem. As opposed to determinate varieties which are generally shorter growing and produce one flush of tubers just above the roots. I’m not 100% certain but these should be indeterminate varieties Sarpo Mira, Sarpo Axona and I think Sarpo Kifli, Desiree, Cara, King Edwards, Maris Piper, Rooster, Markies, Marfona, Pentland Squire and Pentland Dell. Though I don’t know how well some might fair being grown in tyres. 

[gavinjconway]

Before we got the allotment, we tried to grow potatoes in the bags.
Unfortunately our potatoes produced enough potatoes for 2 people for 1 meal. We then gave up on that idea and got rid of the bags. 

Now we have an allotment we are in the process of digging over the beds for the spuds to go in and fingers crossed for a bumper harvest later this year 

Paul

You will probably find you id not feed and water them enough.. they need loads of water in pots or bags as the compost dries out fast.

[manicscousers]

Done it in the past, reasonable result from earlies