Time for something interesting, and hopefully new for a number of people. Not everybody has a large section of land to setup a kitchen garden, but that should not stop you from still wanting to grow some of your own plants. Till now, you must be thinking, this is okay, “I can use a variety of containers to grow plants in”; the difference is that instead of you hunting for some large containers or other pots, you can a fairly easily available container. A tire is a relatively inexpensive (although some initial effort will be required) way to grow a plant in, and there are multiple ways in which you can grow your plants in these tyres.
And if you care about the environment, consider the benefits of using tires:
- Tires are something that every vehicle discards on a regular basis, and they do nothing but fill up landfills. You are doing the environment and your society a great favor by not going in for plastic containers, and instead using some of these old tires to make containers
- Tires last for a long time, and can be handled easily upto getting them into your kitchen garden
- Tires are very easily accessible (you can pick up your old discarded tires) or go to a repair shop and ask for old tires; they will be happy to let you take some
- There are many advantages to using raised bed planting methods, and you can easily set up tire gardening to simulate the raised bed situation
- For planting crops that grow underground such potato, you can stack old tires one over the other as a potato plant grows, so that you give more soil to grow more potatoes, and can eventually grow a sizable number of potatoes from your tire garden (refer to this link for how to actually cut the tires for a potato garden)
- Because tires are black (face it, you would never have seen a tire of another color) and are made of excellent rubber, they serve to maintain the soil at a near constant temperature
- Tires help in saving water by ensuring that they retain water moisture in the soil, thus requiring less amount of watering

How do you use these tires ?
- Depending on the use, you can either use one tire, or create a vertical stack of tires (if you are planting potatoes, you will be creating a vertical stock to give more soil for more potatoes; if you are planing herbs, you can use just one tire). You can either cut the rims out from the sidewheel to give you the other rubber strip if you are going to be planting a vertical line of tire containers, or you can just cut out the sidewheel from one side to get the required rim + lower sidewheel if you are going to be having a single tire container (be careful when doing this cutting)
- Cover the lower open section of the tire with newspapers and / or cardboard to prevent weeds from entering the mixture
- Get some good soil from your local garden or dealer and mix with some compost. Add the seeds you want to add to this mixture / or plant the herbs
- Watch out for the required watering, although this requires less watering than normal
- You get a great addition to your garden

You can grow herbs, lettuce, spinach, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, flowers, and many other items in these containers made of tires.

CELERY
Celery is often referred to as a vegetable, but it is actually a herb. It is a biennial plant, growing well in moist soil in a sunny position.

Growing conditions:
Thin your plants out by transplanting them, and water well every 3 days and pile compost and sand around the plants base. The seeds can be collected as soon as it is ripe and kept in airtight bottles until ready to plant.

For drying, plant should be pulled up that are going into the flowering stage, or pick off the outside leaves throughout the year

Celery and leeks enjoy growing next to each other, as do tomatoes and bush beans

DOMESTIC USES
An excellent compost maker. It helps to break down the compost and can be layered
between lawn clippings to break them down quickly.

COSMETIC USES
An infusion of celery leaves makes an excellent cleanser for oily skin. Pour 2 cups
of boiling water over a cup of celery leaves and allow to cool, then strain. This can be added to the rinsing water for oily hair

MEDICINAL USES
Celery is great for weight loss and rheumatism. It also relieves flatulence. An infusion made with celery leaves or seeds is an effective diuretic

CULINARY USES
Celery, dried or fresh, can be used in soups, salads, stews or bouquet garnis.
The flavour combines well with most vegetables.
Celery seeds can be used to flavour savoury dishes and also in salad dressings, as
it cuts down on salt intake

For those not familiar with lavender sachets, they are merely lavender flowers placed in small oblong muslin pillows, about 2×3 inch dimensions. The pillow is made by sewing the three sides, pour the herb material into the open end, and then sew it shut. The muslin should be of a good heavy substance, with colors of a light pastel shade.
Besides using the straight lavender blooms in sachets, some delightful aromatic effects can be achieved from a combination of other fragrant herbs with lavender. rose geranium, rosemary, and lemon verbena are good added to lavender blooms for sachets. The combined aromas of herbs can be very unusual.

Growing herbs indoors is a cost-effective–and handier–alternative to buying them at the supermarket. Some of the easiest ones to grow indoors are thyme (Thymus vulgaris), basil (Ocimum basilicum), parsley (Petroselinum crispum), oregano (Origanum vulgare), chives (Allium schoenoprasum), mint (Mentha sp.) and sage (Salvia
officinalis). For people who love garlic, a great alternative is garlic chives (Allium tuberosum). Cut the tops of the grasslike blades and chop them up into your food for a mild garlic flavor.
There are three ways to start an indoor herb garden: transplanting store-bought or garden-grown plants or starting new ones from cuttings or seed.

A Seedy Beginning

For those who like to get their hands dirty, try starting herbs from seed. This is the least expensive way to grow an indoor herb garden, but it takes a bit of babysitting.
You’ll need the following materials: a lightweight soil less mixture, seeds of your favorite herbs, clear plastic baggies and small pots with drainage holes. Some pots are too large to start seeds in, so plant them in a peat pot to get them started. Once they germinate and grow a bit, transplant the whole thing–peat pot and all–into the larger container. Fill the peat pot completely with the soil less mixture, then place it in small bowl filled with water. Allow the peat pot to absorb the water from the bottom up, until the entire soil less mixture is saturated. Make certain the peat is completely wet; otherwise, it will act as a wick and pull water away from the seeds. Watering seeds after they’re planted can wash them away, so it’s important not to skip this step.
Bury seeds to a depth that’s three to four times their diameter. With really small seeds, like basil, you’ll only need to press them into the soil. Plant a few in one pot to ensure success in the event that one doesn’t germinate.
Slip a plastic baggie over the peat pot. The plastic will help the seedling retain moisture and create a warm environment, essentially simulating a greenhouse effect. To prevent the pot from drying out, place it on a saucer and add water to it so the peat can continue to soak up water.
After all the prep work is completed, leave the plants in a sunny location or positioned under grow lights.

A Cut Above

Stem cuttings are an easy method to grow herbs indoors. Before the growing season ends, you can always take some cuttings from your outdoor plants or use cut herbs available from a grocery store. Cut about six inches of a stem at the base of the plant.
Once the branch is cut, strip the foliage off the bottom so it won’t rot. A root should develop everywhere that a leaf or stem has grown. Place the cutting in a small jar of water, and in no time it will set roots. When that happens, pot the cutting and let it grow. Keep in mind that these cuttings need a sunny location, and the water should be changed out every day.

The Easiest Way

If you don’t want to wait to start seedlings or grow plants from cuttings, you can have an herb garden now by purchasing live, grown plants from your local garden center. Keep plants in a sunny location with sufficient water. Once a week, feed them, using a diluted, organic fertilizer; fish emulsion is one good option. Also give your plants a periodic trimming as it helps them to branch out and grow
more vigorously.