How to Make an Upside Down Tomato Planter

Growing your own vegetables can be a rewarding experience, but not everyone has a yard or garden space to plant in. This is where an upside down tomato planter comes in. It allows you to grow tomatoes in a small space and can be hung from a balcony, patio or even a tree. In this article, we will show you how to make your own upside down tomato planter.

Materials

To make your upside down tomato planter, you will need:

5-gallon bucket

Drill

2-3 tomato plants

Potting soil

Compost

Small rocks

Scissors

Twine or chain

Watering can or hose

Instructions

Follow these simple steps to make your very own upside down tomato planter:

Drill a 2-inch hole in the bottom of your bucket. This will be where the tomato plant will eventually grow out of.

Take your scissors and cut a small slit in the side of the bucket, about 1/3 of the way down from the top. This will allow you to place your tomato plant inside the bucket.

Fill the bottom of the bucket with small rocks. This will help with drainage and prevent the soil from becoming too waterlogged.

Mix together your potting soil and compost in a separate container. The exact ratio will depend on your specific plants and environment, but a good starting point is a 50/50 mix.

Fill the bucket with the soil mixture, leaving enough room for the tomato plant to fit inside.

Gently remove the tomato plant from its container and loosen the roots. Place the plant through the slit in the bucket so that the roots are down in the soil mixture.

Place the bucket on a flat surface and fill it with water. This will help settle the soil and ensure that the plant is rooted properly.

Once the water has soaked in, carefully lift the bucket and hang it upside down from your desired location using twine or chain. Make sure that the bucket is level and not touching any other objects.

Water the plant regularly, making sure that it doesn't dry out but also not becoming too waterlogged. As the tomato plant grows, you can add more soil mixture to the top of the bucket to support the additional weight.

Tips and Tricks

Here are a few additional tips to ensure that your upside down tomato planter is a success:

Choose a location that gets plenty of sunlight. Tomato plants need at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight every day.

Consider using indeterminate tomato plants, which will continue to grow and produce fruit throughout the growing season. Determinate tomato plants, on the other hand, will produce all of their fruit at once and then stop growing.

Be careful not to overwater the plant, as this can lead to root rot and other diseases.

Prune the plant regularly to remove any suckers that may form. This will allow the plant to focus its energy on producing fruit instead of excess leaves.

With these simple steps, you can create your very own upside down tomato planter and enjoy fresh, delicious tomatoes all season long.