Hanging Tomato Planter
By Rick Zimmerman
There is nothing better than a fresh tomato from your very own garden. If you want that reward of growing your own tomatoes but don’t have enough room in your garden for the tomato plant, then all you need to do is, make a small amount of space outdoors in any place that gets direct sunlight and has enough room that you can hang a potted plant.
There are some people that think that if you grow tomatoes upside down you will get more tomatoes than if you were to plant them traditionally.
If you would like to try to grow your own tomatoes upside down, there is a very easy way to do so. Just follow these directions and in no time you will have your own fresh tomatoes.
What You Need:
1) Five gallon bucket
Potting soil
A small tomato seedling
Several feet of 1/8 inch cord
Utility knife
You can choose any color bucket, however green gives more of a garden feel for some. First, use warm water to rinse well before starting.
Next, make a hole two to three inches in diameter in the center of the bottom with your knife.
layer several newspapers in the bottom of the bucket. Make a small cut in the newspaper through the hole in the bucket.
Attach the cord to the bucket.
Remove the tomato seedling from it’s container.
Thread the seedling through the newspaper so the stem protrudes through the hole in the bucket, make sure the roots are inside the bucket.
Next your going to fill the bucket with the potting soil. Make sure to take care during this step as the seedling is very fragile. Cut several holes in the lid and place the lid on the bucket.
Make sure your plant has adequate room to grow in the downward position. Your plant should get direct sunlight at least half of the day.
Keep your upside down tomato plant well hydrated. In approximately 50 to 75 days you should begin to see buds and shortly after that you will have some of the best tomatoes you have ever tasted. After you tomatoes have ripened on the vine, you may pick them as they become red and firm.
We are not sure if it’s the way they are grown or if it is the satisfaction of growing your own tomatoes, but tomatoes grown this way are some of the best. Growing the tomatoes upside down does allow the nutrients to completely flow down into the leaves and plant itself.
Make sure to use a strong hook to hang your tomato plants because each planter will weigh approximately 40 pounds.
The best time to plant your hanging tomato plants in the early spring time.