Going green with tyres and plants

Heat of the tropics wears down car tyres pretty quickly, but I had never paid much attention to the fate of the old tyres. For some reason this time I had a brain wave for recycling the old wheels. I can’t believe I didn’t think about this earlier: growing plants in the old tyres!

A can of spray paint and a few bags of soil later:

I have been dreaming of plant beds in our little backyard that would release me from constant watering of the little pots – because let’s face it, it will never happen. Until now I have been forced to replace the dead plants rather regularly – I am just not the gardener I’d like to be.

Herbs in tyres

I tried to look online whether it’s safe to grow food in old tyres, but could not find evidence that any chemicals would be released from the tire to the soil. For now, the mint is doing fantastically in its new spot that gets direct sun until early afternoon, as is basil. Rosemary is not thriving, but it seems it does no do well in the tropics anyway. Parsley and dill are surviving but would deserve a less forgetful gardener.

I’m looking forward to the rest of the tyres to be in need of replacing and will move on to more challenging edible plants! Have a look here at our article about starting your own edible garden.

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