Making a Tire Garden

You can watch the video of how we set up the tire garden on YouTube:

How to Make a Tire Garden for Growing Lettuce and Herbs

One thing about gardens is they are great for experimenting. You can try different plant companion combinations, different soil mixes, different containers and methods.

In the last few months, I've departed from the 'rules' of gardening and engaged in free style planting- planting seeds with no thought to placement, season or symbiotic relationships. I'm also disregarding my drip system and spraying the garden beds with a watering wand, soaking the soil and sometimes the young seedlings.

Okra plants in October

So, in the spirit of rebellion, I shrugged off the cautionary tales of tire gardening and embraced the concept of re-using a usually cast-off product. The studies I've read concern themselves with shredded tires for ground cover, that the heavy metals leech into the soil. Well, once the integrity of the tire is destroyed, as in shredded, then yes, leeching is likely imminent.

But even the Environmental Protection Agency says intact tires are fine for garden containers, so Bob and I set one up. Now, we'll see what happens next.

Free Style Gardening Successes

Zucchini with Flower

As of this writing, I've harvested okra and zucchini, Anaheim peppers and jalapeno peppers, cucumbers, herbs and even a few beans. My free style garden is moving along rather well, and if the fall season brings forth its customary good weather here in the valley of the sun, I should have a good harvest.

The success of a garden is measured by its harvest, and in the last couple of seasons, my success has been limited. But I have more hope for this season, and I think our tire garden will add to that success.

Updating Our Aquaponics and Hydroponics

We're in the process of preparing for the upgrade to our aquaponics system. We'll add a larger fish tank and an extra grow bed, as well as reposition the grow beds. It's a long process, but now that the temperatures no longer rise above the 100 degree mark, we can move along at a quicker pace.

We're also looking at updating our approach to hydroponics. We have, traditionally, used buckets and plastic containers for our hydroponics systems, but the systems aren't particularly attractive. If you want hydroponics at your front entrance, for example, a big orange bucket won't cut it. So keep a look out for some of our upcoming experiments in updating the look of hydroponics and of course, for our new aquaponics system.

Basil in a Kratky Can

Update: You can watch the video on the Kratky method, and how I used it to grow basil in a coffee can on YouTube: 

The Kratky Method of Hydroponics: Growing Basil in a Coffee Can

And the updated video as well:

Kratky Method of Hydroponics Update: The Basil in a Can

(2025)

Basil in March in Kratky Can

Some time back we tried a strawberry plant in a kind of miniature Kratky hydroponic system, using a coffee can. Though the strawberry plant didn't thrive, I wasn't ready to abandon the experiment. 

So now we're re-doing the experiment, this time with sweet basil.

The basil is doing well, and I'm already harvesting stems from the plants. The plants do draw up quite a bit of nutrient solution from the limited reservoir, and of course here in Phoenix, the solution is also subject to evaporation.

Basil in April in Kratky Can

To keep the water level high enough to maintain the plants, I simply dip into the fish tank in the aquaponics system and add that nutrient rich water to the can. The basil plants love this stuff.

So, I'm counting this Kratky in a Can experiment a success. The leaves are large and flavorful; the roots are dense and of good color; and the plants continue to thrive using the fish water as a nutrient solution.

Back in the Soil Garden
Meanwhile, back in the beds in the soil garden, the veggies are coming in agonizingly slow. I've put up the sunshades so the beds don't get overly warm in the mid-day sun. Just a few weeks ago, I was covering them in blankets to protect them against the frosts.


Sun Shades for the Garden

I've talked with other gardeners here in the valley of the sun, and I'm hearing the same thing. We're looking to start harvesting some of the early veggies - the first batch of tomatoes, an eggplant or two, a few peppers. Instead, our tomatoes are just starting to think about turning red; our peppers aren't fattening up yet; and the squash is still half asleep.

We're all blaming it on the late winter cold snaps.

But the temperatures are climbing quickly now, with daytime temps in the 80s and 90s. The nights, though, are still cool; I'm hoping everything kicks into high gear before the dreaded summer heat settles in.

Thinking about the Fall Garden

Emerging Eggplant

So while I wait for the spring garden to come to harvest, I'm thinking about what I want to plant in September and October, when the weather cools and it's time once again to plant the seedlings started weeks ago, when the weather was so hot we used oven mitts to drive until the air conditioning kicked in.

It's May, so I want to start seeds in about a month. I want to start some pumpkin and spaghetti squash, leeks and broccoli, and of course, tomatoes. I'll use a fast growing tomato, such as Early Girl, to get a harvest before it's a little too chilly.

And I'm thinking about some pinto beans and snap beans, and maybe some peas and carrots, along with cucumbers. I'm thinking the cucumbers just might thrive during the still warm, but not blazingly hot days in September and October. If we have a good November -sunny and warm- I'll have cucumber salad for Thanksgiving.

And by then, I'll be ready to put in the winter garden.  

Frostbit Garden and Starting Seeds

Frostbit tomato plants

Update: The strawberry plant in the Kratky can was transplanted, but failed shortly after. The seeds did fairly well, as I recall; a 60 to 75 percent is average for germination and reaching the seedling stage, and from there, about two-thirds of the plants come to fruition. And the tomatoes were tasty, both from the box and bowl.

October, 2025

Despite my efforts during the cold snap, most of my vegetable plants died of frostbite. A sad thing indeed.

The plants in the aquaponics grow bed survived, but there's little growth. When we built the aquaponics system, we placed the bed in a partially shaded area for two reasons. The fish barrel needs to be in full shade so the fish survive the summer heat. They don't mind the cold - goldfish can live beneath ice- but they don't like those high temperatures.


Aquaponics bed

The bed is in partial shade because, again, the summer heat is so brutal. However, the area is getting too little sunlight in these winter months, and the cool weather greens are not growing as quickly as they should. So we'll be doing some changes to the system within the next few weeks and try to find the optimum location for the grow bed and the fish.

The beds in the soil garden out back are pretty well emptied, so I've started my seeds, and hope I'll have seedlings by mid-to-late February. Then, I'll have to start thinking of protecting the tender plants from the heat in June and July, as everything comes to harvest.

Starting seeds

While most of the country plants in early spring, in March or even as late as April, we in Phoenix need to plant in January and February. By June or July, veggies like tomatoes and cucumbers are curling up their leaves and calling it quits. It's just that hot. So we set our seeds outside in January, while everyone else shovels snow.
I've started seeds for a variety of plants: okra, snap peas, beets, sweet peppers, jalapeno peppers, Anaheim peppers, and red hot cherry peppers. I've also planted yellow squash, zucchini squash, yellow pear tomatoes and beefsteak tomatoes, and cucumbers.

Before I put the seedlings into their beds, though, I'll test the pH of the soil, as well as nutrient content. Before I do that I'll add some new compost and top soil. We'll video the testing and share that with you.

Strawberry plant on 1/23/13

Meanwhile, my tomatoes are ripening in the box and in the bowl. I'll roast those up and use them on pizza.

The strawberry plant in the Kratky can is still with us, and though the one stem is a little weak, we're seeing some new growth. So far, so good.

Welcome to just az gardens

First Published Jan 2, 2013

Update: The just az gardens have changed quite a bit since this post. The aquaponic bed has been replaced with a sleeker version, and the back garden has undergone a renovation, a conversion to container gardening. But the post is still relevant, and as good a place as any to start.

Thanks for reading. October, 2025

An original aquaponics bed

Gardening is as much an art form as it is a science. It is a hobby and a means of survival. You can grow fruit and vegetables, herbs, flowers, shrubs and trees. You can grow plants in soil, as we do in our own vegetable garden, or you can use hydroponic methods, in which the plants are nourished with nutrient rich water - no soil required.

And then there is aquaponics, the system based on a symbiotic relationship between fish and plants, in which fish water is used to nourish plants installed in a grow bed. You can learn more about aquaponics in our video series on YouTube.

For us, gardening isn't just about growing plants. It's about finding different ways to grow them. At just az hydroponics, we focus on soilless methods of growing plants. We believe it's important to understand and utilize these methods because in places like the southwest desert, soil gardening is a challenge.

But we also have a backyard garden, because I like the feel of soil in my hands, and the way gardening in soil creates a connection to the earth itself. My backyard garden is akin to a meditation room, except my journey to inner piece includes calluses and cuts and bug bites.

The video in this first post of just az gardens is our experiment with the Kratky method of hydroponics. You can read more about this method on the justaz.com website. Over the next few weeks or so, we'll track the progress of the experiment and post the results in this blog.

Next week, we're going to look at what to plant in January in your soil garden in Phoenix, and preparing for a container garden on the front porch.