Growing Tomatoes Upside Down Makes Great Produce
Everyone has probably seen those pricey planters to help grow fruits and vegetables inverted but there is no need to pay for such an item when an individual can make one themselves and save money. In addition, these homemade planters hold more plants which means more of the fruits or vegetables a family loves. Growing tomatoes upside down is a great way to gain more of the bright red salad toppings in many different shapes and sizes.
By using a five gallon paint bucket, which can be purchase clean and new at a hardware store, an individual could plant several of the vines that thrive when they are growing towards the ground. Many people claim that they have more of the small red round fruits with the upturned method than they do with planting them in the ground. Several farmers and environmentalists believe it’s because the stems get more circulation and more air, both of which is vital to their overall growth and fruit production.
The procedure is simple and comes together better if two or more people are putting them together. The first thing one needs to do is to cut a hole in the bottom of the bucket that is about 2-3 inches in diameter for the plant to grow out of. This could be done with a drill or a very sharp knife. Some of the buckets have a circle already imprinted on the bucket so it might be easier to cut this portion out.
One way to make this job easier is to put the bucket between two 2 by 4′s that have been placed across two tables or workhorses so that the plant can be lowered through the hole. This will give the plant plenty of room to hang down while filling the bucket with soil. One must first carefully thread the plant through the hole to make sure the roots are inside the bucket and the plant is sticking outside. If using newspaper or a coffee filter to keep the soil from falling out of the hole, carefully tear a hole in this material and gather up all the roots and gently pull them through the hole in the paper product.
Take one or two cups of potting soil at a time and place in and around the roots, while still holding on to them. Keep on placing cups of soil around the roots and then on top of them until they are completely covered. It should be okay to let go of the plant at this time and continue adding cups of dirt until the bucket is filled to capacity, leaving about and inch to two inches without soil at the rim of the bucket.
This inverted plant will need to be watered as soon as the planting is completed. Almost all of the water will escape out the bottom of the bucket, through the hole and that’s okay. Look into the top of the planter and make sure that the soil has not compacted itself down too much with the water for if it has, it will need to be replenished. Simply add more soil until it comes back up to one or two inches near the rim.
Be careful when walking the bucket planters over to their final destination. The plants can not drag on the ground or rub up against a leg. They have just been through some trauma when they were transplanted and this could cause more damage. These bucket planters need a lot of sunlight for the most part of the day. Hanging them on the porch or from a shed is nice but an old swing-set, without the swings, forms a good looking hanging garden.
Growing tomatoes upside down makes for great produce. It is a fun and simple way to grow more fruits and vegetables than a regular garden. This method is especially good when a homeowner or apartment dweller does not have a lot of space for a traditional garden.
Make sure you check out Mike’s latest free report: 22 Tomato Plant Problems Solved – and click here for more info on growing tomatoes upside down
Tags: fruit, Gardening, vegetablesJuly 29 2010 | Gardening | No Comments »