Growing potatoes in tyres, or tires as you may spell it, is not as bizarre as it may initially seem. While farmers have been growing them in mounded dirt for aeons it's a relatively new trend to grow spuds in your vehicle refuse.

But, on so many levels it makes sense. Firstly there's the recycling component: you will need at least 4 tyres to grow potatoes in which accounts for at least 2-3 years of driving value. Then, there's the space issue: you can grow far more potatoes per square metre than growing them in the soil. Plus, vertical gardening is always an added bonus because it makes use of the space above the ground which is often wasted.

Finally, when it comes time to harvest your spuds it's just a matter of pulling off the tyres and letting the potatoes fall out - much easier than breaking your back digging them up.

So, how do you grow potatoes in a tyre stack?

The first step is to source some old tyres. One option is to head to your local refuse site and pick up a few that are already taking up landfill. However, these are usually quite dirty and can often have spiders or other creepy-crawlies inhabiting them. Instead, I prefer to visit a local tyre dealership and request some of their waste tyres. These have come off vehicles and are waiting to go the refuse site but are usually quite clean and much easier to deal with. Plus, the tyre store will be very happy to part with them because they save dump fees.

When picking your tyres try and source ones that are the same size. This will make it easier for stacking and keep your stack in a uniform shape.

Step One

The first step in starting this process is to cut out the inner width of the tube (marked by the yellow crayon line). This allows more growing space but won't damage the strength of the tyre wall. The tyre that will be positioned at the bottom will only need this performed on one side with the full tyre wall facing the soil.

Don't throw out those inner rings as they can be very useful too. One single cut from inside to outside can turn this surplus rubber into a great mulch collar for new trees and shrubs and they can easily be stored hanging flat in your garden shed when not in use.

Step Two

Start by laying the base tyre on the ground in the position that you want it to stay - remember, once these are stacked you won't be able to move them. Fill the first one with some growing medium: you can use half soil/half compost, straw (hay) or even potting mix. Then spread the seed potatoes across the surface and water in and place the next tyre on top. TIP: don't use potatoes that you bought from the grocers. These have usually been chemically treated or processed in such a way that they will become infertile in the soil. You can usually source these from your local nursery or rural services stores and expect to pay about $5-10 per kilo. Note: some can be kept from this harvest for next season's planting.

Step Three

This is the final stage of the process and involves covering the potatoes with more growing medium. You may be tempted to continue building the stack immediately and then leaving it to its own devices. While this sounds nice and almost maintenance free, growing potatoes this way isn't that simple. Instead, once the vine protrudes through the medium and continues to grow then you are able to add more tyres and more medium.

The one trick here is not to cover the vine totally but to always leave a few leaves sticking out. If you do cover it, the vine will begin to rot and you will lose your spuds. It's time to harvest your potatoes when the vine begins to brown and die down. Then you can start pulling the stack apart and gleaning your fresh potatoes.

Remember to keep some for next years planting and store these in a dry, dark spot. The rest can be washed and then stored in your pantry to impress, and feed, your family.