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The potato tower - grow spuds anywhere, anyhow...

The potato tower has become synonymous with permaculture. This is because the potato tower is a kind of philosophical and symbolic metaphore of what permaculture is about. Understand the potato tower, and you can start understanding the themes of permaculture!

If you've never come accross one, a potato tower is a nifty way of growing something useful with an otherwise useless thing – old tyres. You start with two tyres, which you can place anywhere (on top of concrete, etc, no problem). You fill the tyre with a load of organic matter followed by a layer of soil (any kind, it really makes no difference). Now place a few (up to five) chitted potatoes on this mix and cover with a little more soil.

As the potatoes start to grow, use the tower as a place to chuck your kitchen scraps and other organic matter; a handful of grass clippings too would be good. When the tyre gets full, place another tyre on top, and carry on...

You'll know your potatoes are ready for harvest because the 'haulme' (the green part of plant) starts to die back. Now's the time to dismantle your tyres. Inside you'll find, not only delicious spuds, but even more delicious compost from all the organic matter you've been chucking in. It's a double whammy!

And the reason it's such a good explanation of the ideas behind permaculture is that it's a sustainable way to grow a spud - it's created new soil from a 'waste' product; you can do it anywhere, even on an old car park; it's taken less effort than brushing your teeth; it's a closed cycle, so you can keep doing it year on year without needing to import stuff (soil, fetilisers, seed); no energy has been exerted digging the soil...

Most garages seem happy for you to take away a few old tyres (although they will look at you a little stragely when you first ask!). You can always let the kids loose on them with some left-over paints if you don't think the 'black' look suits your garden. You can also line-up the towers in a south-facing curve to create a sun trap for heat-hungry plants. Go on, grow some tatty-towers!

Comments and questions...

Did you take the inside of the tyre out with brute force or leave it in?

The tyres which I get from garages around here are used and therefore don't have an inside (see pic), so I don't have any experience of taking them out. If you left them in there wouldn't be enough room for the potatoes and all the organic matter.

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