Tire planting in my yard.

[Yulan]

I have moved over the winter so this spring I have a lot of work transforming my new yard, the question is ... I have four large tires placed in various places in the yard what I can plant in these and have them thrive?

 

[baymule]

Zinnias!

 

[Yulan]

Love them was hoping for something long term, I contemplated butterfly bushes but not sure how they would fair in a tire?

 

[Smart Red]

North of zone 6, butterfly bushes are borderline hardy. Planting them in a tire would probably be a good idea to keep the soil around the roots warm during the winter. However, each year these plants grow their roots larger. I would imagine that by four years in a tire they would outgrow the space.

There are a couple of mini varieties that would probably work, though.

 

[majorcatfish]

sorry for the delinquent .

about growing in tires, what are you thinking about growing in them flowers, veggies?

used tires make great flower beds for perennials or annuals.....

used tires should not be used to grow any veggies. not to scare you or anybody but you should be aware that older tractor/earthmoving tires might have been filled with antifreeze /calcium chloride/ or a tire sealant, just washing them out will not remove them.
and then there is the chemical makeup of the tire.
heres a link ...
http://www.epa.gov/nerl/features/tire_crumbs.html

have been in tire retreading business for over 15 years and over the years have had the pleasure of going to where they make the tread rubber or new tires, bandag, michelin,goodyear have always asked this question..would you grow vegetables in a used tire.....always get the response of ...NO

my vote.... hostas, daffodils

 

[Nyboy]

When I was a kid cutting tires to forum a planter was very common, almost trendy almost always planted with flowers.

 

[Nyboy]

http://cdn.instructables.com/F9B/KXL2/GQZJNDXJ/F9BKXL2GQZJNDXJ.LARGE.jpg

 

[Yulan]

I have successfully grown butterfly bushes in this area, they winter well. I have put tulip bulbs in tires but it just gave the rodents easy access to my bulbs I don't want to move the tires but I would love to plant a tree flowers or bushes in them preferably something low matinence. I was told that tires take nutrients from the soil any truth to this?

 

[Smart Red]

No, I don't see how they could take nutrients from the soil. The problem -- as mentioned above -- is that they leach chemicals into the soil. It's not a problem for ornamentals, but a no-no for edibles if you're looking for safe food.

 

[Yulan]

Fantastic not planning on planting food in them, they are tractor tires.