Tomatos are a great nutritious fruit for use in salads or cooking, and are especially juicy if you grow them at home. If you have already read our article on the upside down tomato garden then you will know already that this is a great way of growing your tomatoes at home, and is an especially practical approach if you do not have garden or much room to grow them outdoors. In this article we have outlined a popular method for creating your own cheap upside down tomato planter.
Here is 1 technique for creating you won planter:
- get a bucket that has a strong handle and fastening lid and cut a hole in the centre of both the lid and the bottom of the bucket about 2 inches wide (or 50mm)
- with the bucket now upright, take off the lid and place a coffee filter or scrap of fabric over the hole (this will be to stop the soil coming out of the hole). Now fill the bucket to the top with a potting compost of your choice and then lay another coffee filter or piece of fabric over the top of the compost. Make sure the bucket is full to the top so that the lid will fit snugly against it
- Now put the lid on and fasten securely. Turn the bucket over so that it is standing on its lid now and cut a slit in the filter or fabric that should be showing across the hole you cut earlier. Now plant your tomato seedling in the compost making sure it is firmly rooted (you may want to remove the lower leaves from the stem).
- Place your bucket in a warm sunny area and water the seedling until it is about 1 foot tall (30cm). Now you are ready to hang the planter upside down somewhere convenient by its handle. if you hang it against a wall outside make sure its secure and is not likely to hit a window on a windy day.
- You can water the plant via the hole in the lid of the bucket which should now be on the top.
Some other useful tips include:
- use a bucket with a metal handle
- put a little bit of bleach in the bucket when you clean it out, and rinse out with water – this will help kill any fungus or harmful diseases that may harm the plants
- One tip is to make sure you add some water retention granules – such as vermiculite – to your planting compost, this will help ensure that the soil retains some of the water