On Sunday afternoon I managed to finish turning my first tyre planter inside out, following my work on cutting off one of the sidewalls last week. The secret was to get one section turned inside out (relatively easy by applying concentrated pressure) and then to stand on the inverted section and work round. After a certain point, another short struggle is required but then, once the tipping point has been passed, the rest is easy.

As you can see from the picture above, I then proceeded to plant it up with a hydrangea one of my housemates had prepared and some of the plants Jane and I propagated from the stock in our Lewisham garden before we moved. I think the inverted tyre makes a rather attractive planter and will be even better as the plants have a chance to bush out. It is also a good solution for the beds in the front garden as the soil is very poor but the planter allows a concentration of better quality stuff to get the plants established.

Finally, it does get easier with practise. I only had a short time outside last night but managed to empty out a tire that had been filled with plants that had all been harvested, cut it, turn it inside out and leave it ready for planting up later in the week. That was much quicker than my first effort even though, that time, the tyre was already empty giving me a head start.

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