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.

Sedum, also known as stonecrop, is a popular, well-known perennial garden plant. The succulent leaves, sturdy stems and massive flower heads have earned the plant a spot on many landscapers’ “must have” lists. Besides their physical attributes, sedums are drought tolerant and can withstand many adverse growing conditions, which also makes them ideal landscape perennials. Sedum ‘Black Jack’ is sure to match the tough and easy-to-grow reputation of most sedum cultivars and offers characteristics unparalleled by other sedums.

Characteristics of Sedum : Black Jack

- The Sedum ‘Black Jack’, ‘Sedum ‘Black Jack’ PPAF, is a recent discovery at Walters Garden in Michigan.
- The stems and foliage are darker than most sedum in its family. It has 2′ tall clumps of purple stems with black to purple foliage.
- With a plant height and width of 24″, its 8″ pink flower heads bloom in September, making a wonderful contrast with its foliage.
- It makes a wonderful border plant.
- Many are attractive even in winter when their foliage dies and is left standing.
- They’re favorites of butterflies and useful bees.
- The tall types are outstanding for cutting and drying.
- The characteristic dark purple foliage will take on a lighter coloration when plants are produced at lower light levels.
- During midsummer, large, broccoli-like flower heads form, containing numerous flower buds.
- By late summer, the flower buds swell and begin to show a pink coloration. As the buds open, the color intensifies, revealing an impressive color display of bright pink, 8-inch flower clusters.

Planting Conditions for Sedum : Black jack

- Plant in full sun to part sun with other Sedum or Salvia.
- Prune in spring when new growth appears; divide plants every three or four years.
- Sweet or Sour Soil ?:
Acidic Soil (pH < 7.0)
Neutral Soil (pH = 7.0)
Alkaline Soil (pH > 7.0)
- This good-natured, easy-to-grow plant is very drought-tolerant and deer-resistant.
- For the best performance, plant ‘Black Jack’ in a well-drained media, preferably a nursery-type (bark-based) mix rather than traditional greenhouse (peat-vermiculite) media.
- Black Jack is a light to moderate feeder.
- Black Jack requires a below-average amount of irrigation.

Campsis radicans is native to the southeastern and Gulf Coast region of the United States where it grows along fences and at the edge of woodlands. Campsis radicans are also known as Trumpet Creeper or Trumpet Vines.

Characteristics of Campsis Radicans

- The trumpet creeper is a fast growing, high climbing deciduous woody vine that will grow to heights up to 40 ft (12.2 m).
- It has large trumpet shaped flowers that are bright red to orange on the outside, yellow inside and grow in clusters of 2 to 9 Flowers.
- Flowers are followed by long, bean-like seed pods (3-5″ long) which split open when ripe releasing numerous 2-winged seeds for dispersal by the wind.
- It’s flowers attract hummingbirds and provides valuable cover for birds and small mammals.
- The vine’s aerial roots that occur along the stems that attach tightly to surfaces. Once the vine climbs to a certain height it grows horizontal branches that reach away from the support in a quest for light and space.

How to grow Campsis Radicans

- It prefers rich moist soil but is adaptable to less than optimal situations.
- Use a loose, sprawling groundcover, to cascade over a rock wall, as a point of interest on a single fence post, or as a spectacular sweep up the side of a stone building.
- They should be planted where it’s spread will not be a problem or can be controlled by mowing as they grow very fast.
- Prefers full sun for maximum growth and flower production, but tolerates partial shade.
- Showy clusters of yellow orange to red trumpet-shaped flowers first appear in summer (earlier in frostfree climates) and are produced continuously until early autumn.

Usage of Campsis Radicans

- It is best used in woodland gardens and natural areas where it has space to grow.
- It covers fences and other structures.
- It’s easy to grow trumpet creeper on arbors but remember that the aerial roots use a powerful adhesive substance to cement themselves to supports which almost certain to ruin paint surfaces.

The name Allium is from the ancient name for garlic, which is part of the genus. There are estimated to be around 700 species within the genus, and many cultivars. There are perennials and biennials. Many members of the genus give themselves away with the distinctive smell of onions when the bulb or foliage is bruised.

Characteristics of Purple Sensation – Allium hollandicum

- A fall planted ornamental onion bulb, will produce purple flowers.
- This flower is sure to turn heads with its 4-inch wide globes of tightly packed pink-purple florets which sit at the top of a tall, thick, bare stem.
- In summer it bears umbels 8cm (3in) across of 50 or more star-shaped, deep violet flowers.
- Contact with bulbs may irritate skin.
- They are great for ornamental value and widely used for both landscape and cut flower purposes.
- The Allium Purple Sensation is ideal for containers, mass plantings, borders, and cut flowers.
- These plants are rabbit, squirrel, and deer resistant.
- The Purple Sensation has a bloom period of about 3 weeks and they bloom in late spring to early summer.

How to grow Purple Sensations

- Flower bulbs should be planted at least two and a half times the height of the bulb.
- They should be far enough so that they do not touch.
- Frost should be avoided while rooting.
- When planting in grass areas mowing should not take place until the
leaves have died off (about six weeks from planting.)
- Do not tie up or knot the foliage as this cuts off food supply.
- Plant in groups of ten or more for an eye catching focal point.

Basic Requirements to grow Purple Sensations

- Soil should not be too wet.
- Soil should be well drained but should have good moisture retention as flower bulbs are not deep rooted.
- Plant bulbs 5-10cm (2-4in) deep in autumn.
- The ideal PH level is approximately 6.5.
- It grows well in full sun or partial sun.
- The growth rate is moderate.
- Fertilizer is not essential but a dressing of a high potash and phosphate fertilizer may prove beneficial.

Photos of Purple Sensation on Flickr (link)
Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ (Allium hollandicum ‘Purple Sensation’) – Photo (link)
Allium hollandicum ‘Purple Sensation’ (detailed photo) (link)