Portable rotary clothes line planter

I am trying to bring together several disparate ideas to make one project. Assuming it's feasible of course.

In our garden we have a rotary clothes line. Every now and then the movement causes the ground to open up around the spike. Today, whilst filling in the whole with soil, I was thinking of a more practical solution. My initial thought was to bury a parasol base (it was in eyeshot at the time) under the grass with just the centre sticking up.

Then I remembered a few years back my wife suggested making a base out of an old car tyre filled with concrete. The whole thing could then be manouvred around the garden as required. We have had a tyre kicking about for this very purpose.

I have seen people making planters out of car tyres. What is the feasibiity of combining the two ideas?

Any thoughts?

G.

 

Scaffold tube is standard in 48mm, but alsò available in non-standard 42 and 32mm, and all of those are outside diameter. You will need to check your outside groundsocket diametet against the scaffold tube inside diameter. An exact match is no good as it will jam, it requires some additional clearance.

 

I thought that for a very cheap price you could buy a spike for those types of clothes line, you used to be able to.
You just then dig a straight sided hole, or one that kind of dovetails, put the pipe in and some of that fence post setting concrete.

 

Probably more windy round your way then, or the ground is softer.
Not used now but there is one in my lawn that has been there 30 yrs

 

We have spikes that are shaped like an auger and they "screw" into the ground. It would be nice if they were available to you

 

I made a concrete spike holder in a tyre about 5 years ago. Still going strong, still works, has never toppled over. I could lift it and roll it round the garden to wherever I needed it to be. Sadly, I have no pictures, and it's now being used by the new tenants to the house we lived in. I no longer need it, because I have drying facilities already here, at our new place.
Do you want instructions?

 

Hi @TaraMaiden You joined the forum just at the right time. . Any advice would be appreciated. I can't promise I'll do it but I would still like the option. Thanks.

G.

 

We did that too but on our heavy soil rainwater gathering in the pipe was unable to drain away and the clothes line pole rusted away. Version 2 : we taped the pole to the scaffolding pipe preventing rain water getting in.

 

@Jack Sparrow the previous owners of our house had a whirly gig. Last year hubby decided to dig the base of it up so that we didn’t have the concrete hole in the middle of the lawn. After 2 hours of digging and 4 bottles of Stella, this is what he dug up.


We still have it, because of its huge size and weight

Today we were discussing how to get rid of it because even an angle grinder can’t get through it. We have decided that the only way is to dig yet another big hole under an area we want to slab and bury it

 

I coulda sworn I wrote a nice long reply...?!

Oh well...

Again.

You need the largest car tyre you can find. Not necessarily the broadest tread, measuring across the tyre, but certainly, a tyre with a long diameter.

A large, thick, non-porous piece of plastic sheeting.

The dryer spike.

A spirit level, and a good flat surface

A sack of Fence-Post concrete mix

Water

A sturdy stick.

A piece of thick rope, about 18" long.

A drill & drill-bit the size of the rope.

FIRST:
Lay the tyre on a good, flat level surface.

Line it with the plastic sheet. Poke the sheet well into the tyre so that it lines it closely and with no big gaps or pockets. There should be an overlap, by about 6" all round....

Drill 2 holes, about 6" - 8" apart, in the wall of the tyre, between the edge of the tread, and the opening (but closer to the border of the tread, where the tyre is quite thick).
* BE SURE TO PIERCE THE PLASTIC LINER TOO. *

From the inside of the tyre, pass one end of the rope up through both the hole in the liner, and the corresponding hole in the tyre, And then back through the next hole, to the inside of the tyre & liner.

Knot both ends, to form a lifting handle.

Next, start filling the tyre with DRY concrete fence-post mix, and poke the rotary dryer spike, into the middle. Be careful to not pierce the plastic.
Make sure it's upright and level, and central.
Finish filling the tyre with the DRY mix. Use your sturdy stick to poke it around and ensure it settles well, filling any gaps. Rather like you'd shake a jar full of rice, to get the grains to settle down...

Now add water, according to the cement mix's instructions. Kick the tyre tread all the way round to get rid of any air bubbles, and make sure the spike stays central and upright.

While the cement is still wet, you can get decorative and either lay cobbles in it, or make wells and dips to put sempervivums or succulents in them... or just tamp it down and level it.... Cut off any surplus plastic liner with a stanley knife.

Now, leave to dry. Again, the drying time will be indicated on the cement packaging, but that's what I did and it worked for me!