Comments on: Stacked Tire Worm Farm – Most Economical http://blog.working-worms.com/2009/03/stacked-tire-worm-farm-most-economical/ Tue, 12 Oct 2010 15:57:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Norm of Worm Farm http://blog.working-worms.com/2009/03/stacked-tire-worm-farm-most-economical/comment-page-1/#comment-163 Norm of Worm Farm Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:54:40 +0000 http://blog.working-worms.com/?p=27#comment-163 Is Stacked Tire Worm Farm is the Most Economical..And why? Is Stacked Tire Worm Farm is the Most Economical..And why?

]]> By: Steve http://blog.working-worms.com/2009/03/stacked-tire-worm-farm-most-economical/comment-page-1/#comment-90 Steve Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:20:02 +0000 http://blog.working-worms.com/?p=27#comment-90 Hello again. More information: Potatoes grow best in acid soil, chemicals leach out of the substrate (tyre rubber, polycarbonate etc..) when the environment is either acid or strongly alkaline. Thus the ideal growth pH (which is around 6.8) for potatoes is also ideal for leaching bad stuff out of the potatoes! Damn! Tyres seem to be so convenient! All is not lost however, potatoes grow well in heaps of straw - this is how they are grown in Scandinavia s'tru! Google Potato Cultivation, and you will see. Now, in rural areas where my focus is moving to, straw is easily available, and I am going to see how best to set a trial up. Think of starting with a heap of straw/soil mix retained by say, cardboard, and then progress stack growth by simply heaping straw and cardboard retainers above the original as the potato vine develops. The lower layers tend to turn into sour (acidic) mulch, which is ideal. Hello again. More information:

Potatoes grow best in acid soil, chemicals leach out of the substrate (tyre rubber, polycarbonate etc..) when the environment is either acid or strongly alkaline. Thus the ideal growth pH (which is around 6.8) for potatoes is also ideal for leaching bad stuff out of the potatoes! Damn! Tyres seem to be so convenient!

All is not lost however, potatoes grow well in heaps of straw – this is how they are grown in Scandinavia s’tru! Google Potato Cultivation, and you will see. Now, in rural areas where my focus is moving to, straw is easily available, and I am going to see how best to set a trial up. Think of starting with a heap of straw/soil mix retained by say, cardboard, and then progress stack growth by simply heaping straw and cardboard retainers above the original as the potato vine develops. The lower layers tend to turn into sour (acidic) mulch, which is ideal.

]]> By: Steve http://blog.working-worms.com/2009/03/stacked-tire-worm-farm-most-economical/comment-page-1/#comment-88 Steve Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:12:56 +0000 http://blog.working-worms.com/?p=27#comment-88 Hi there, Further to my e-mail last night, here are two sites that you may want to look at: www.ehi.org/turf/rubber_mulch_facts08.shtml www.sgaonline.org.au/yy_potatoes.html There is controversy about this issue, but whatever is said, Tyres are not inert, they do degrade, even in storage, let alone outdoors. So to be safe I have elected not to use them. Adrian Hi there,

Further to my e-mail last night, here are two sites that you may want to look at:

http://www.ehi.org/turf/rubber_mulch_facts08.shtml

http://www.sgaonline.org.au/yy_potatoes.html

There is controversy about this issue, but whatever is said, Tyres are not inert, they do degrade, even in storage, let alone outdoors.

So to be safe I have elected not to use them.

Adrian

]]> By: African http://blog.working-worms.com/2009/03/stacked-tire-worm-farm-most-economical/comment-page-1/#comment-42 African Thu, 11 Jun 2009 02:00:08 +0000 http://blog.working-worms.com/?p=27#comment-42 I am surprised that more people don't use the stacked tire / potatoe combo as it could really produce a lot of high quality potatoes on a regular basis. If you simply make a couple of timber paddle levers out of 2 by 3 timbers and shape the ends into a tapered flat wedge that you push between the lower two tires, its easy to heave up the tire, by putting a couple of bricks at the base for a fulchrum and levering up the stack. I am surprised that more people don’t use the stacked tire / potatoe combo as it could really produce a lot of high quality potatoes on a regular basis. If you simply make a couple of timber paddle levers out of 2 by 3 timbers and shape the ends into a tapered flat wedge that you push between the lower two tires, its easy to heave up the tire, by putting a couple of bricks at the base for a fulchrum and levering up the stack.

]]> By: forsyth http://blog.working-worms.com/2009/03/stacked-tire-worm-farm-most-economical/comment-page-1/#comment-21 forsyth Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:41:38 +0000 http://blog.working-worms.com/?p=27#comment-21 The potato / worm farm combo is a great idea - if you are strong enough to heave heavy tires around. I have enough trouble with moving my layered worm farm trays, when they're full. The potato / worm farm combo is a great idea – if you are strong enough to heave heavy tires around. I have enough trouble with moving my layered worm farm trays, when they’re full.

]]> By: African http://blog.working-worms.com/2009/03/stacked-tire-worm-farm-most-economical/comment-page-1/#comment-16 African Sun, 12 Apr 2009 14:40:50 +0000 http://blog.working-worms.com/?p=27#comment-16 I am wondering about tires used as worm stacks in Africa and other hot places - if in direct sun I'm sure that the heat would be too much and could kill off the worms - better under a tree or shade cloth. I am wondering about tires used as worm stacks in Africa and other hot places – if in direct sun I’m sure that the heat would be too much and could kill off the worms – better under a tree or shade cloth.

]]> By: African http://blog.working-worms.com/2009/03/stacked-tire-worm-farm-most-economical/comment-page-1/#comment-12 African Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:05:59 +0000 http://blog.working-worms.com/?p=27#comment-12 Stacked tire worm farms are amongst the oldest systems of DIY vermiculture. It has been used on farms and smallholdings for turning manure into compost for decades. In the UK, they just set up the stacks, shovel in the well rotted farmyard muck and wait for the worms to arrive on their own. Don't use fresh manure though - the activity of the microbes in the fresh manure will set up a fast exothermic reaction, which kill off your worms from the excessive heat. You can also use stacks of old tires for other purposes. Some student friends, used to grow potatoes on their apartment balcony. They simply planted potatoes in the lower levels and as the sprouting spuds came up they added another tire and banked it up with soil and compost, and then another and so on. After they had about five stacked tires, the bottom one was dragged out (with much huffing and puffing) and the crop was harvested. The tire went to the top of the stack with its soil plus a little more compost/ plant food and the process just went on and on. It occurs to me that you could set up a great system with pairs of adjacent tire stacks - one for the worms, to provide the rich worm compost and beside it the stack for producing the potatoes. World without end - Amen. Close your eyes - it's ugly! Stacked tire worm farms are amongst the oldest systems of DIY vermiculture. It has been used on farms and smallholdings for turning manure into compost for decades. In the UK, they just set up the stacks, shovel in the well rotted farmyard muck and wait for the worms to arrive on their own. Don’t use fresh manure though – the activity of the microbes in the fresh manure will set up a fast exothermic reaction, which kill off your worms from the excessive heat.

You can also use stacks of old tires for other purposes. Some student friends, used to grow potatoes on their apartment balcony. They simply planted potatoes in the lower levels and as the sprouting spuds came up they added another tire and banked it up with soil and compost, and then another and so on. After they had about five stacked tires, the bottom one was dragged out (with much huffing and puffing) and the crop was harvested. The tire went to the top of the stack with its soil plus a little more compost/ plant food and the process just went on and on.

It occurs to me that you could set up a great system with pairs of adjacent tire stacks – one for the worms, to provide the rich worm compost and beside it the stack for producing the potatoes. World without end – Amen.

Close your eyes – it’s ugly!

]]> By: gebbella http://blog.working-worms.com/2009/03/stacked-tire-worm-farm-most-economical/comment-page-1/#comment-11 gebbella Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:27:29 +0000 http://blog.working-worms.com/?p=27#comment-11 It would seem to be a very useful solution - but not for a suburban garden. Very unsightly! It would seem to be a very useful solution – but not for a suburban garden. Very unsightly!

]]> By: forsyth http://blog.working-worms.com/2009/03/stacked-tire-worm-farm-most-economical/comment-page-1/#comment-8 forsyth Mon, 23 Mar 2009 10:56:30 +0000 http://blog.working-worms.com/?p=27#comment-8 Excellent article at ezinearticles. Has this been tried extensively yet? Excellent article at ezinearticles. Has this been tried extensively yet?

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