BUILDING YOUR TYRE GARDEN crops repel insects from other crops e.g.

tomatoes
emit an odour which repels the diamondback
moth from laying its eggs on cabbage plants, so it
There are two types of tyre garden
is good to grow these plants in close proximity to
single layer
each other. Marigolds may also be planted in
tiered
spaces between tyres to repel other insects. Neem
trees in the area will also help to repel insects. A
With the single layer type, the tyre is filled with soil
layer of crushed eggshells on the soil surface or a
mix (soil + compost + animal manure), making sure
shallow container of beer may be used to repel
that the cavity of the tyre is filled, so that there is
slugs.
very little settling of the soil mix after planting.
You may just fill plant in the central area of the tyre
In spite of the above, it may still be necessary to
or you may cut circular holes along the
spray vegetables/herbs especially during the rainy
circumference of the tyre and plant additional
season, to control caterpillars. These can destroy
plants in these.
entire plants almost overnight. Safe chemicals like
Agree, Garlicguard , Safer soap (Agrochem Inc) FERTILISING
You may set up a “Vertical Production” system,
and Neemex (Carters) may be used. Phyton
using a tiered “wedding cake” arrangement of
(Carters ) may be used for disease control. Using tyre gardens reduces the quantity of fertiliser
tyres of various sizes, with circular holes cut along
the circumference of each tyre. This makes needed since it is applied in a concentrated area
maximum use of space. where the plant is growing and not spread over a
WATERING AND WATER wide area where it may be leached by watering
CONSERVATION or rainfall and lost to the plant.

The other alternative is to take 2 or 3 of the same
sized tyre and place one of top of the other as
shown here
CONTROLLING INSECTS AND DISEASES
The buildup of pests and diseases in the tyre
garden can be controlled by rotating crops in the
tyres, using good quality soil-less growing mixtures
as well as inter-planting a variety of crops rather
than growing large areas of the same crop. Some
In warm climates such as the Caribbean, painting
the tyres white helps to keep the temperature
down in the tyre by reflecting the sun and will
therefore help to reduce water consumption by
the plants. When used in cooler climates, the heat
that is retained could be of benefit to your plants
by making a warm micro climate for your plants.
Tyre gardens may be watered manually using a
hose or watering can or if you want to conserve
water, you may consider installing drip irrigation
which consists of a main line with spaghetti type
emitters going to individual tyres. Another method
of conserving water and controlling weeds is to
mulch the soil surface in the tyres with either dried
grass or shredded paper.
Another method of watering is to cut circular holes
along the circumference of the top tyre when
creating the garden. The inside of the bottom of
the tyre is then filled with small rocks. A PET Bottle is
then used upside down in the cut hole to drain
into the rocks. This system offers a direct watering
option with water being poured or hosed into the
PET bottle filtering through the small rocks to
spread directly to the root system.
Commercial natural fertilisers like Groganic (from
Dice A Bed) which contain Nitrogen, Phosphate
and Potassium may be used quite safely. Roots 2
(Agrochem Inc) which is a biostimulant and allows
the fertilizer to be used more effectively may also
be applied to the plants.
You can also use your own compost made from
your household organic waste. See separate
information sheet for developing your own
compost. You could use a QUICK MANURE TEA if
you want “fast food” for your plants. Fill a pail ¾ full
with green grass or chicken litter and cover with
water. Put a lid on the pail to prevent mosquitoes
from laying eggs – and to somewhat subdue the
odor as it will soon smell like manure! Set it in the
sun for a couple of days to “work.” Dilute with
water to the color of tea and use as a fertilizer for
your plants. (Thanks to Winnie Merritt for that one!)
Note: Photos used in this manual were taken by
Nicole Garofano of the tyre garden of
Mr and Mrs Oscar and Winnie Merritt.
We thank them for sharing their knowledge.