How to Make an Upside Down Hanging Planter (Like a Topsy-Turvy)
You've probably seen the commercial for the Topsy Turvey, the upside down tomato planter. Now you can make your own out of a soda bottle! Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Two- or three-liter soda bottle, or any large plastic bottle
- Warm water from the tap
- Rope, twine, ribbon or something with which to hang the planter from the ceiling
- Scissors or an Xacto knife
- Hooks to hang it with
Instructions
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Rinse out the bottle with water while waiting for the tap to run as hot as it gets. Fill the bottom (about up to the bottom of the label) with hot water, replace the cap, then turn over. Press down on the bottom on a smooth hard surface, probably the floor. The bottle top should fold in on itself, forming a bubble-y area, with the opening pushed up inside the bottle.
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Using your scissors or Xacto knife, cut off the bottom of the bottle. Dump the water out, and remove the label if you want. Your bottle should now be squashed on top, with the spout surrounded by a moat, sort of, and the bottom should be cut off. At this point, you should make two holes in the side of the bottle, up near the top, for the rope to go in. Make them as straight across from each other as you can.
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Once you've made the holes, you need to put the hooks into the wall or the ceiling where ever the plants are going to hang. You need to measure how much rope you'll need. Once you've measured, you can cut the rope and put it through the holes, then tie a knot in the end so it will stay in. You will be making a handle, sort of, so make sure the knots are inside the bottle on both sides.
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Now you can plant things in it! Take a plant (tomatoes can be used, also cucumbers, squash, zucchini, basically any vine plant) and insert it carefully roots first into the spout of the bottle. Fill the bottle carefully with potting soil - you might want to do this outside or on a floor you can sweep up, because it will spill dirt out of the hole initially. Once you fill the bottle, the plant should stay in, and all you have to do is hang it and water it, and you're ready to go! Your own Topsy-Turvey!
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Tips & Warnings
Don't use boiling water. Hot water from the tap is just fine.
Covering your bottle with fabric will protect it from becoming brittle in the sun, if you hang it outdoors. Use a leg from a pair of pants you don't want anymore, and just attach it to the bottle.
Make sure the hooks you choose are going to be strong enough to support a bottle full of dirt and water. You don't want it to come out of the wall in three weeks!
Of course, be careful with your scissors or knife. It's a little difficult to cut the bottom of the bottle off, but it's easy to get hurt.
