How to Make Outdoor Garden Beds Out of Tires

Traditional flower and vegetable gardens consist of sections of land, tilled and planted with neat, straight rows of plants. Although this traditional method is tried and true and produces good results, many gardeners bring variety and interest to the garden or yard with alternative structures and plantings. Give your garden a unique and industrial turn and do your part toward recycling by stacking tires up and using them as planters.

Tires
Bagged garden loam
Organic compost
Shovel
Fertilizer

Instructions

- 1
  Start your garden building in the spring for a wide range of planting choices. Choose level sites for your tire gardens where the plants receive full air circulation and full to partial sun. Lay the tires out in your site and stack two tires if you want raised beds.
- 2
  Mix your planting soil to the side. Use 1 part organic compost to 1 part bagged garden loam and 1 part peat moss giving plants nutrition and long-term moisture retention. Shovel the garden mixture into each tire planter, filling them.
- 3
  Turn plant-appropriate fertilizer into the soil, depending on your plans. Use 10-10-10 or 12-12-12 fertilizer for vegetables and fruits, 5-10-10 or 5-10-5 fertilizer for annuals and perennials, and bulb fertilizer for bulb perennials, such as tulips, lilies and irises.
- 4
  Plant annuals, bulb perennials, fruits and vegetables in your tire planters. Plant vining plants, such as bougainvillea, ivy and golden pothos, for variety and train the vines down over the tires.
- 5
  Water the plants with 2 to 3 inches of water every four to five days. The black tires may warm and dry the soil more quickly, so monitor moisture.

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