Homesteaders

[Loc20chick]

I'm not sure these tires are lead free. Can't say how old the are, so I'm leery of using them for food plants.

Loc20, have you tried CL for tires. I would think there are folks who would give you some. I know I would.

I don't think potatoes are worth my trouble. We eat a lot of potatoes here and no where to store them. It's too damp and wet here for a cold cellar.

Did you know that every year we consume about 110 pounds of potatoes per person?

Though we do like the small red and salt taters. Cooked and eaten with then peels is easy for old folks.

I have tried craiglist, not very lucky but will keep checking. I want to use them around the front yard for flowers, I once saw a very cute landscaping with one. I will put it on top of a tree stump, fill it with soil and plant some seasonal flowers every spring and summer.

Now looking back, it's possible we consume that much potatoes. I haven't planted potatoes except the ones that go bad in the house instead of throwing I bury them in the garden and I usually harvest a few bowls. Which reminds me I need to dig the few I planted soon.

 

[shortgrass]

I'm not sure these tires are lead free. Can't say how old the are, so I'm leery of using them for food plants.  

Loc20, have you tried CL for tires.  I would think there are folks who would give you some.  I know I would.  

I don't think potatoes are worth my trouble. We eat a lot of potatoes here and no where to store them.  It's too damp and wet here for a cold cellar.   

Did you know that every year we consume about 110 pounds of potatoes per person?  

Though we do like the small red and salt taters.  Cooked and eaten with then peels is easy for old folks.

Well you sure know how to make a gal paranoid lol...just asked DH if those tires have lead and he just shrugged and snuck away...hmmmm lol

@KlopKlop its a monumental dirt party lol...hubs hauls in a load of sand(we have a huge sandpile for yard work), a load of compost, and bales of straw... I layer it as they grow, compost, sand, straw, repeat... When done the soil goes to plot where I grow my cover crops. It gives me good mixed soil, albeit slightly used, to amend some heavy clay and rotate my veg; no disease problems as long as I don't get powdery mildew or something that carries over, most buggies get solarized anyway

Lead. Ooooh. Grrr

 

[KlopKlop]

Interesting. I am sure that mix grows great potatoes since it is loose and well drained.

I don't think lead is an issue. I have read up on using tires for gardening and from what I understand they are fairly inert. One group recommended painting the outsides to prevent UV breakdown as an extra safety measure

 

[shortgrass]

Interesting. I am sure that mix grows great potatoes since it is loose and well drained.

I don't think lead is an issue. I have read up on using tires for gardening and from what I understand they are fairly inert. One group recommended painting the outsides to prevent UV breakdown as an extra safety measure

That's probably right...I was thinking that even in trace amounts, its still present in the soil too..but... I'm inclined to paranoia about trivial things lol

Not to worried, painting is a good option; help keep taters cooler too...if I get too anxious about the lead, I'll have some painted tires to make that fence/snake looking thing

 

[Fuzzy Moto]

There are also a lot of old tires that would cost to much to get rid of. $5 each. If anyone knows how to cut them in half I have an idea to use them. There are others but cutting them in half and using them as a path border into the woods is my favorite. Something along this line.

Well as far as cutting tires in half, Harbour Frieght sells a cheap Recip. saw and Long multi use blades. You could try that or borrowing one from a friend, just buy your own blades incase they get chewed up.

The Pole, what about making a squirrel feeder? You could make it so it was balanced and had chimes on it and then put it just in reach of the tree there and then watch in amusement as the squirrels attempt to feed themselves. Which may pull them away from other areas in your yard too. Could possibly be a nice sculpture too.

 

[Fuzzy Moto]

My land is mostly swamp early growth trees and scrub. So if I wanted to grow "Grains" for my chickens as a supplement to their diet, could I do that over my septic field? Not going to grow a lot or be tuning the ground over like a conventional farm, so would that be feasible and logical? I welcome any input on this.

 

[boskelli1571]

My land is mostly swamp early growth trees and scrub. So if I wanted to grow "Grains" for my chickens as a supplement to their diet, could I do that over my septic field? Not going to grow a lot or be tuning the ground over like a conventional farm, so would that be feasible and logical? I welcome any input on this.

You could certainly grow over your leach field, the grain would love the extra moisture.
Right over the septic is feasible as long as you know you aren't going to need to access the septic.

 

[rancher hicks]

Well you sure know how to make a gal paranoid lol...just asked DH if those tires have lead and he just shrugged and snuck away...hmmmm lol

@KlopKlop its a monumental dirt party lol...hubs hauls in a load of sand(we have a huge sandpile for yard work), a load of compost, and bales of straw... I layer it as they grow, compost, sand, straw, repeat... When done the soil goes to plot where I grow my cover crops. It gives me good mixed soil, albeit slightly used, to amend some heavy clay and rotate my veg; no disease problems as long as I don't get powdery mildew or something that carries over, most buggies get solarized anyway

Lead. Ooooh. Grrr

Well now I'm an old Mother Earth News person and I recall it being mentioned. I've never done the research so I don't know about it really. If you google old tires there are a lot of uses for them.
Plus the newer tires may not have lead.

So don't paranoid.

 

[rancher hicks]

My land is mostly swamp early growth trees and scrub. So if I wanted to grow "Grains" for my chickens as a supplement to their diet, could I do that over my septic field? Not going to grow a lot or be tuning the ground over like a conventional farm, so would that be feasible and logical? I welcome any input on this.

Our yard has a leach field and I've never worries about it. I just let what grows grow. Though I would like more clover. You do mow yours? I do so it will dry out. Do I have to do that? I hate septics.

 

[wyoDreamer]

The important thing for the septic is to keep vegetation on it - that keeps it from becoming compacted. You don't have to keep it mowed. At one of our old houses, the neighbor planted a wildflower garden on his so that he didn't have to try to mow it. It was very pretty.