I have heard that using the tires exactly like you describe, is a perfect way to grow potatoes. You can continue to stack and layer the potatoes as well.

I've been reading a LOT online about planting in tires. About 75% of the articles seem to say it's perfectly safe, about 10% says it's OK and maybe 15% say it's not safe. I haven't seen any scientific studies that say WHY it isn't safe, but I've seen some that have said that it's ground-up tires (like used on playgrounds or for mulch) are a potential problem.

What's the "take" on this issue for y'all? Safe? Unsafe?

I was wondering the same thing. Does anyone know if it's safe to plant in directly in the tires, or do they need to be lined with plastic? I haven't seen anything about lining them on the Internet articles...but a poster said they could be dangerous. Is this true with older tires, or just those recently used on roads?

My nephew would like to try growing potatoes and maybe carrots and parsnips in tires and I would appreciate any ideas and information on this. Thanks in advance :)

i figure it couldnt be any worse than planting in 5 gal plastic buckets, lol. i'm from georgia and when i was growing up tires were yard art, planters, swings, etc. the ones with the zigzag edges painted white were actually pretty.

I have heard that it is safe to plant food in them. Any possible seepage of chemicals isn't any worse than what you'd encounter in the ground soil. I heard they were nice to use as raised bed planters because they hold in the heat and, like any raised bed, you control the soil content.

I remember the tire planters of my youth that were cut with the zigzag pattern and painted. But I love the tropical bird planters made from tires in the link below. They are amazing!

bamaconnie, please be sure to post pictures if you do decide to create tire planters!

Here is a link that might be useful: Tropical Bird Tire Flowers

Who knows the perfect paint to use on tire planters. I'd love to do some.

Thanks, Rosie

I use latex house paint to paint tires with. It lasts for a few years.

I followed a couple links from Luna's "How to Make a Tire Planter", and found this warning about planting food in tires. :(
Beware Cadmium Poisoning
Just a caution about growing food in tyres. Tyres contain cadmium which fixes the colour in rubber. Cadmium, though little talked about, is one of the more poisonous of the metals in our environment. Potatoes are known to accumulate cadmium, as do cabbages, carrots, radishes, lettuce, turnips, tobacco, cocoa and peanuts. Obviously potatoes are a concern because they form a large part of most people's diet. As is the case with all heavy metal poisoning, the early symptoms are not noticed until it is too late.