This year I am hoping to grow a living willow fence in old tyres to curtain off a rocky area from the wind. This is my first attempt at growing anything at all in old tyres – never mind a willow fence!
I am hoping that it will prove successful and that eventually this area of the garden will be sheltered from the east wind and the road and become a pretty place to sit and watch the sun go down over Galway bay.
The first task was to place the tyres. I soaked cardboard in my old tin bath and placed it in squares in each place I was going to put a tyre.
I left about 12 inches of cardboard around the outside of each tyre as well and this will be covered in gravel – eventually. By doing this I am attempting to mulch the grasses below and prevent weeds coming through.
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- Save Your Cardboard
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- Soak Your Cardboard
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- Place Your Cardboard
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- Chickens Join In
I then placed a layer of bunched up newspapers and cardboard into each tyre, followed by a clump of seaweed, some kitchen peelings, teabags and a small log.
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- Add Seaweed
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- Filling The Tyre
I filled the remaining space in each tyre with some locally bought soil. Eventually I hope that we will be self-sufficient in regards to soil but at the moment we still need to top up. The soil is 70 euro a ton so you can imagine how much it would cost if we had to cover the whole acre and a half!
Below is Eppie our new puppy carrying out an inspection – I think she approves!
I also planted lots of bulbs, daffodils, Brodiaea, Anemones and crocus in the tyres as well. So while we’re waiting for spring we will have a blast of colour.
We have had terrible heavy rain, storms and floods in this area lately. Still we were very lucky to have had two sunny days since Christmas to do this work. Fingers crossed we stay lucky and everything grows in the tyre garden!
Back soon. In the meantime enjoy your gardening!
Grace
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