Quote:
|
Originally Posted by TheBear
I thought it was advised not to grow spuds in tyres, as the chemicals in the rubber (and on the rubber, if they're used tyres) will leech into the plants. I heard it was similar to the sleeper problem.
|
As some of you probably know, I grow my spuds and other veggies in tyres and have a post up loooking for good homes for some of the used tyres we have - my hubby has a motorbike shop so no shortage in supply!!
Before I grew and fed these spuds to my family I did my homework and checked out all the websites I possibly could. There are various arguments for and against and I suppose you just have to weigh those up for youselvel. But I also checked with family relations with a medical and clinical background. They assured me that the amount of chemical asorbption, if any, is minimal and that you probably are exposed to more and higher levels of dangerous chemicals in fruit/veg grown for the mass market because of the the amount of fertilizers and insectisides used.
I also found this interesting:
Old Tires Are Safer
I was reading about using old tires and they discussed chemical leaching. One thing they said was that the tires *were* old so that they had had lots of time under adverse condition to oxidize and vent harmful gases and chemicals. That is why new tires smell bad and old ones typically do not. I found this info and a lot more on tire houses at
http://www.touchtheearthranch.com This was in the FAQ section. I'm quoting:
"The surface of used tires has been subjected to years of exposure to oxygen by high speed rotation in the atmosphere. This exposure causes a phenomenon called oxidation. Oxidation 'interlocks' the surface molecules with oxygen and 'out-gassing' (fly-away molecules of synthetic rubber) is considerably limited, if not stopped completely. It's the new tires that stink/outgas, they just need to "rust" for a while, before they are suitable for use as a building material."
By Jennie in MT
from this site:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf284146.tip.html
which also carries a con argument.
The only thing I would say is that if the tyres you are using have a green/pink or orange substance on the inside of them then do NOT use them to grow edibles. This is a sealant that some tyre fitters use especially in tubeless tyres. It can be jellylike or crystalline in appearance depending on how the tyres have been stored.
Other than that I find them a great way to grow especially in a small space (my efforts have proved so successful though that my husband has agreed that we should expand the veggie patch to double it's size. Woo hoo!!)and are also useful for helping to keep the dreaded slug at bay.
The Eggshells worked a treat for me too..
Lisa