The Hanging Tomato Planters on the clearance counter in a shop at the local mall caught my eyes and instantly reminded me of a special Planter advertisement I have seen on TV that allows you to grow a tomato plant upside down. Upside-down gardening has become quite popular in the last few years with upside-down planters and its concept is nothing new, but it is totally new to me. Thanks for the topsy turvy reminder; this is exactly what I am planning to do this spring.
Although the advertisements for products that grew vegetables upside down have had me convinced that they would be a great idea for my garden, I wondered how successful this would be in my frugal way of doing things. Instead of buying the commercial product, I have planted some tomato seedlings with cheap plastic buckets that I have bought for 85 cents each at the local shop.
To start my upside-down tomato garden, I simply cut a 50mm hole at the bottom of the pail and I filled it with planting mix, added organic fertilizer, planted a tomato seedling in the opening on the bottom and hung it in a sunny spot.
I am looking forward to growing tomatoes and chillies hanging up in the air in our pergola and veranda. Not only it saves space and adds decorative interest to my backyard, but it also eliminates the hassles of weeding, pests and digging.
Hello, I tried to comment on your blog, but for some reason it didn't take, so I was wondering if you could tell me how large the buckets are, and what kind of tomatoes you are growing? I used two-litre soda bottles last year, with grape and cherry tomatoes, and had mixed results (I think because there was not enough root room). Good luck with this project! (I'll copy this and try again to comment on the blog itself.)
ReplyDeleteHi Marsha,
ReplyDeleteThey are 9 litres buckets and I am planting 2 cherry tomatoes and 2 Roma tomatoes. As this is new to me, I am keeping a close watch on them. I will keep you posted on the results.
Wish me luck.
Phil