Are you feeling a little overwhelmed trying to protect our environment? Has Spring Fever seeped into your very essence, preventing you any 'real' progress at work? Are there large, unsightly old tractor tires in your neighborhood begging for a renewed lease on life? If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions then I have the solution for you!!!
Last weekend my wife wanted me to make some raised beds for our organic vegetable garden and a new strawberry garden that she wanted. I could have easily gone to the garden center of one of the many big box stores around town (Lowes, Wal-mart, K-mart, etc.) to buy ties or blocks to build the raised bed...but I had a different idea. Instead I went to the local tire dealer. That's right. The tire dealer. I still have a ways to go to get the garden done, but here are the humble beginnings:
Above you see the front two tires are the strawberry garden. The back two are going to be the jalapenos, cilantro, tomatillos, tomatoes, etc. Below you see the herb garden from last year. I hacked the rosemary back, but that is one TOUGH herb. I have a rosemary chicken recipe if anyone is interested.
And finally, a closeup of one of the raised bed 'containers' This particular tire came from an ISO 14001 factory. That means that it was produced as environmentally soundly as possible - and now its environmental life has been extended! A little horse manure mixed in with some ditch spoil and these babies will be ready to produce!
So get out there and garden! Avoid insecticides whenever possible (neonicotinoids have been linked to Colony Colapse Disorder (CCD)).
Once you finish your garden, if you still have energy and that 'engineering' drive, you should try to build a solar water heater or solar cooker. Or you could take all of those used tires to make a tire bale house.
