How to Build an Upside Down Tomato Planter
Growing tomatoes upside down in a hanging planter is easy and fun. Tomatoes hanging on your porch or patio are less likely to suffer from disease or insects, and they're easier to protect from harsh weather or garden pests. Make your own planter and add some herbs, and you can have tomatoes right outside your door all summer long. You don't need to buy an expensive kit to grow tomatoes upside down--it only takes a few inexpensive supplies to build your own upside down tomato planter. Hang your tomato planter a sunny spot that's protected from harsh weather. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 5-gallon bucket with lid
- Saw drill
- 4 gallons potting soil
- 1/2 gallon clean sand
- Dried manure or compost
- Landscaping fabric or cheesecloth
- Tomato seedling
Instructions
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Water your healthy tomato seedlings before you set up your hanging planter so the roots are moist.
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2
Turn the bucket upside down and drill or cut a 3-inch hole in the center of the bottom. Turn the bucket right side up and lay a cover made out of landscape fabric, cheesecloth or a coffee filter over the hole. This will keep the potting soil from falling out the bottom. Use a sharp knife to cut a 3-inch slit in the middle of the fabric so you can insert your tomato seedling through the fabric.
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3
Mix the potting soil and the sand and fill the planting bucket two-thirds full. Add about 2 cups of dried manure or rich compost in the center of the bucket, then continue adding potting soil and sand until the bucket is full. Moisten the soil lightly, then firmly attach the lid to the bucket and turn it upside down.
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4
Strip the lower leaves from the stem of your tomato seedling, leaving just three or four leaves at the top of the plant. Tuck the seedling, root-end first, gently through the slit in the fabric and down into the soil in the bucket. Leave just a couple inches of stem with the top leaves protruding from the soil. Set the roots and stem deeply; new roots will soon grow out from the buried stem.
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Water the seedling well, but do not add fertilizer. Leave the bucket upside down with the seedling sticking out for at least a week. Keep the soil moist, and keep the bucket in a sunny spot. Wait till your tomato plant is at least 10 inches tall before you turn the bucket upside down.
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Hang your upside down tomato planter. Lift it up and carefully turn it upside down. Remove the lid and water the plant lightly if the soil on top is dry. Plant companion seedlings in the top of the bucket; good choices include peppers, lemon cucumbers or herbs such as oregano and rosemary.
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Rotate your hanging pot every couple days to keep the tomatoes growing evenly. The plants will try to right themselves and grow toward the sun; turn the pot 90 or 180 degrees occasionally to keep the plants even.
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Pinch off any suckers---the tiny shoots that emerge between the main stem and the branches of the plant. Trim the longest shoot of the plant if it gets longer than 3 feet; topping it off will encourage faster ripening and better production.
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Tips & Warnings
Choose bush tomatoes (determinate varieties) for best results; these tomato plants will grow to a determined height and not get too long under your hanging planter. Good varieties for your container include Jetstar, Celebrity and Super Bush, according to Gary Hall, Iowa State University County Extension Education Director. He recommends Pixie if you want to grow cherry tomatoes.
Herbs such as oregano or rosemary in the top of the bucket will grow thick; thin them if necessary to allow water from the top of the bucket to reach the tomato roots.
Water every day if your summers are hot and dry.
Fertilize sparingly; tomatoes grown in upside down tomato planters don't require as much fertilizer as garden-grown varieties.
Do not allow the soil to dry out.
Move the potted tomato to a sheltered place during windy or cold weather.
