Has anyone tried the Bob Flowerdew method of growing potatoes in stacks of
tyres, adding a new tyre for each earthing-up of the plant?

How many tyres are the optimum height. I seem to remember Bob using tyres
that had been turned inside out in an attempt to make the thing look a tiny
bit more attractive!

Vicky

http://www.au.gardenweb.com/forums/l...243423397.html

http://atkinson.customer.netspace.ne...tch/potato.htm

http://www.bhg.com.au/gardening.nsf/...dec01_potatoes

Regards,
mrys Davies.


"Vicky" wrote in message
...
Has anyone tried the Bob Flowerdew method of growing potatoes in
stacks of
tyres, adding a new tyre for each earthing-up of the plant?

How many tyres are the optimum height. I seem to remember Bob using
tyres
that had been turned inside out in an attempt to make the thing look a
tiny
bit more attractive!

Vicky

I tried it, and they all rotted. They were stacked 5 high, and with my
watering and the rain it didnt work. I figured that the tires retained too
much water. Now I am trying it in old tomato cages. The excess water will
run out. I dont have an answer for you, but will by this time next year.

Dwayne

"Vicky" wrote in message
...
Has anyone tried the Bob Flowerdew method of growing potatoes in stacks of
tyres, adding a new tyre for each earthing-up of the plant?

How many tyres are the optimum height. I seem to remember Bob using tyres
that had been turned inside out in an attempt to make the thing look a
tiny
bit more attractive!

Vicky

"Vicky" wrote in message
...
Has anyone tried the Bob Flowerdew method of growing potatoes in stacks of
tyres, adding a new tyre for each earthing-up of the plant?

How many tyres are the optimum height. I seem to remember Bob using tyres
that had been turned inside out in an attempt to make the thing look a
tiny
bit more attractive!

Vicky



Hiya, have done so but never went over three tyres, too much soil required
!. I think the main reason Bob turned the tyres inside out is to make more
room inside them. To do that though you do have to cut the tyres internal
edges off first, otherwise they are impossible to turn inside out. Also he
used this method to create interlocking tyre stacks which can then hold a
binbag and act as a waterbutt.

The biggest dilemma for me was what to use to fill the inside parts of the
"un-turned-insideout!", tyres I used, I think it's either best to use
crumpled up paper or straw. Didn't produce the largest crop ever but was
very good for the new pot's. I think the tyres warm the soil up and that
helps.

Duncan

"Vicky" wrote in message
...
Has anyone tried the Bob Flowerdew method of growing potatoes in stacks of
tyres, adding a new tyre for each earthing-up of the plant?

How many tyres are the optimum height. I seem to remember Bob using tyres
that had been turned inside out in an attempt to make the thing look a
tiny
bit more attractive!

Vicky



Hiya,

I am trying it this year, with tyres stuffed with shredded paper in the tyre
wall, and then soil within the 'hole' in the centre. I plan to have two
stacks, maybe three tyres high (well, thats the amount of tyres I've got!)

We will see how they fare - mind you, I 'cheated' with some shop bought
grocery potatoes that had started to chit, rather than purchase a whole sack
of seed potatoes (I only wanted a few) so maybe I won't see anything at
all....

Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Jo.

The message
from "Jo" contains these words:

I 'cheated' with some shop bought
grocery potatoes that had started to chit, rather than purchase a whole sack
of seed potatoes (I only wanted a few) so maybe I won't see anything at
all....

For future reference, if you see a GC selling seed potatoes in a half
cwt sack, it doesn't mean they expect you to buy the whole sackful :-).
They are selling them by weight, which is by far the cheapest and best
way to buy seed potatoes. It means you can buy just half a dozen of a
variety to try.

Janet.

On Thu, 29 Apr 2004 19:26:45 +0100, "Vicky"
wrote:

Has anyone tried the Bob Flowerdew method of growing potatoes in stacks of
tyres, adding a new tyre for each earthing-up of the plant?

How many tyres are the optimum height. I seem to remember Bob using tyres
that had been turned inside out in an attempt to make the thing look a tiny
bit more attractive!

Vicky

We tried it for the first time last year. Two 'sprouting' potatoes
rescued from the bottom of the fridge, one planted in each tyre stack.
We (or rather SWMBO) tended them faithfully until each stack was three
tyres high, and we got about 5lbs of spuds out of each. Never having
grown potatoes before, we were duly impressed with the results.

This year, we've gone mad. Five stacks, three spuds in each, and we're
going to let them go 4 tyres high. (IIRC that's what Bob Flowerdew
recommended). We'd be grateful for one hint though - how do you know
when to harvest them? Should we be waiting until something happens to
the foliage, or do you just have a ferkle about in the tyres to see if
anything 'feels about right'?

If you're short of tyres, your local KwikFit will practically pay you
to take 'em away. I'm sure they thought I was nuts when I went in and
told them what I wanted them for.

Cheers

Tim

I have used this method with good results though never needed more than
three tyres. Do not wait till the growth shows signs of dying off. By then
the potatoes will be no longer new and little better than 'boughten'[Local
dialect]. "Ferkling" down for a Sunday meal seemed to cause no problems.
A local, aged, gardener [very strong] had the ability to turn a tyre
inside out and made the most realistic urns. I was never able to do this
myself.
Best Wishes Brian.
"Tim Nicholson" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 29 Apr 2004 19:26:45 +0100, "Vicky"
wrote:

Has anyone tried the Bob Flowerdew method of growing potatoes in stacks
of
tyres, adding a new tyre for each earthing-up of the plant?

How many tyres are the optimum height. I seem to remember Bob using
tyres
that had been turned inside out in an attempt to make the thing look a
tiny
bit more attractive!

Vicky

We tried it for the first time last year. Two 'sprouting' potatoes
rescued from the bottom of the fridge, one planted in each tyre stack.
We (or rather SWMBO) tended them faithfully until each stack was three
tyres high, and we got about 5lbs of spuds out of each. Never having
grown potatoes before, we were duly impressed with the results.

This year, we've gone mad. Five stacks, three spuds in each, and we're
going to let them go 4 tyres high. (IIRC that's what Bob Flowerdew
recommended). We'd be grateful for one hint though - how do you know
when to harvest them? Should we be waiting until something happens to
the foliage, or do you just have a ferkle about in the tyres to see if
anything 'feels about right'?

If you're short of tyres, your local KwikFit will practically pay you
to take 'em away. I'm sure they thought I was nuts when I went in and
told them what I wanted them for.

Cheers

Tim

On Sun, 2 May 2004 15:56:27 +0100, "Brian"
wrote:


A local, aged, gardener [very strong] had the ability to turn a tyre
inside out and made the most realistic urns. I was never able to do this
myself.

but could he turn an inner tube inside out, via a slit in the inner
tube? :-)

Turning an inner tube inside-out from a slit is of course possible and
produces the most totally unexpected mathematical shape called a .
Quite unbelievable.
Best Wishes Brian.
"martin" wrote in message
news
On Sun, 2 May 2004 15:56:27 +0100, "Brian"
wrote:


A local, aged, gardener [very strong] had the ability to turn a tyre
inside out and made the most realistic urns. I was never able to do this
myself.

but could he turn an inner tube inside out, via a slit in the inner
tube? :-)

On Sun, 2 May 2004 17:26:25 +0100, "Brian"
wrote:

Turning an inner tube inside-out from a slit is of course possible and
produces the most totally unexpected mathematical shape called a .
Quite unbelievable.

It is of course impossible.

Depends on what you mean by inside-out! It certainly doesn't look as if it
has been achieved in the way expected. Certainly the inside can be made to
be outside. It is no longer a tube inside-out as expected!
Best Wishes Brian
"martin" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 2 May 2004 17:26:25 +0100, "Brian"
wrote:

Turning an inner tube inside-out from a slit is of course possible and
produces the most totally unexpected mathematical shape called a .
Quite unbelievable.

It is of course impossible.