Remember when the Topsy Turvy Hanging Tomato Plant commercial seemed to run incessantly on T.V.? What it really amounted to was a plastic green bag with plastic rings at the top and bottom with a hole for the plant to go through and a hanger.
The concept is that it keeps plants off the ground away from pests and by hanging upside down the plants will naturally grow upward toward the sunlight. With the water flowing downward onto the plant itself it also gets moisture and nutrients onto its leaves, thus producing a hardier plant yield.
Here's a generic version that can be used for a variety plants, from tomato's, green beans or any vine type plant.
I use it to make a Hanging Herb Garden just outside my kitchen door for a year round supply of fresh herbs to cook with. Living in So Cal most growing can go year round but we occasionally get those too cold days and rather than let my herbs die it only takes a minute to grab them and stash then on hooks in the garage until the weather warms up.
This article was submitted to the Keep The Bottle Contest. Please consider giving it a vote and comment if you deem it worthy. Thank you.
The concept is that it keeps plants off the ground away from pests and by hanging upside down the plants will naturally grow upward toward the sunlight. With the water flowing downward onto the plant itself it also gets moisture and nutrients onto its leaves, thus producing a hardier plant yield.
Here's a generic version that can be used for a variety plants, from tomato's, green beans or any vine type plant.
I use it to make a Hanging Herb Garden just outside my kitchen door for a year round supply of fresh herbs to cook with. Living in So Cal most growing can go year round but we occasionally get those too cold days and rather than let my herbs die it only takes a minute to grab them and stash then on hooks in the garage until the weather warms up.
This article was submitted to the Keep The Bottle Contest. Please consider giving it a vote and comment if you deem it worthy. Thank you.
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Signing UpStep 1: You will need:
To start your project you will need:
A young leafy plant, such a Tomato, Green Bean, Cucumber or your favorite Herb. I used Italian Parsley for this project.
A Two Liter Green Soda Bottle
A Hole Punch
A Roll of Duct Tape
Scissors and/or a sharp Knife
Enough soil to fill your bottle at least 3/4 full
A little Garden Mulch or Bark
Something sturdy to hang your planter with, such as twine, leather string, a cut coat hanger, etc.
A weather resistant hook to hang your planter on
Note: I had stated before that using a green bottle aids in photsynthesis, I stand corrected as you will find explained in the comments below by Dwygrshpr.
A young leafy plant, such a Tomato, Green Bean, Cucumber or your favorite Herb. I used Italian Parsley for this project.
A Two Liter Green Soda Bottle
A Hole Punch
A Roll of Duct Tape
Scissors and/or a sharp Knife
Enough soil to fill your bottle at least 3/4 full
A little Garden Mulch or Bark
Something sturdy to hang your planter with, such as twine, leather string, a cut coat hanger, etc.
A weather resistant hook to hang your planter on
Note: I had stated before that using a green bottle aids in photsynthesis, I stand corrected as you will find explained in the comments below by Dwygrshpr.
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i was wondering how 2 stop the dripping from the nick of the bottle ???
and thanx a banch 4 sharing all those nice ideas
im making thees now so thanx
I grow my tomatoes out the bottom pretty much like you do (works brilliantly!!) and then plant herbs and similar vegetables in the top so I get a two-for-one deal :)
These planters are especially suited to "hanging gardens" in flats or similar residences with little or no garden.
I think the 2Lt bottle will work great for carrots in the top with tomatoes (or similar) out the bottom and will definitely try it with my next crop!
The one thing I'd definitely recommend is adding some sort of stabilizer for the plant's base. I've been doing this project for years with recycled containers, but the one thing I've discovered is that if you live anywhere with wind, your plants are still going to snap in a gust. (I've lost some beautiful tomato plants this way). I just anchor a bamboo stake into it through the top (I tie it off with twine), and tie my plants to it with an old nylon stocking.
The comment about allowing sunlight to the root area is a good one as well. Definitely also recommend somehow making the soil container opaque, in order to prevent algaenation in the soil.
Another tip I can offer (through years of experience making these planters) is to cover the top with mulch and/or pebbles. This will help to prevent water evaporation on hot days, and will thereby not only reduce the amount of watering you need to do, but also help ensure the plant stays healthy (microbially and otherwise).
I usually will do a 1 inch layer of mulch, then cover it with a 1/2 inch layer of baby pebble (river rock). This serves to:
1) provide a buffer between the plant's roots/soil and the rock on hot days (rock heats up quickly and can cause your plant's roots to burn)
2) keep the pH of the plant more acidic (mulch is slightly acidic), which is good for tomatoes (and also helps prevent fungal development) and
3) keep the mulch layer from blowing away.
Last thought: not all plants like to be upside down, obviously. It probably goes without saying that some plants will do better than others this way.
I also then cut up all my veg cuttings and stuff and put it in the top of the container, so my plants are growing in their own pvt compost heap.
This spring will be my fourth year growing upside-down tomato plants. I'll explain my setup:
We have four 12ft 4x4 posts cemented in 4ft deep (I'm in central Alberta and ground frost/heaves are a real concern here). Each post has a bird house built from old barn boards and such (my father gets bored and makes quite a few each winter - so everyone gets a few). Each post has two clematis planted at the base (the flowers attract bugs, bugs attract birds). I have two five gallon pails on each side of the post, hanging off a metal rod. I can get two or three plants in each of these. then I hang a smaller pail (old drywall mud pail) off the front and put peppers or cherry/roma tomatos or strawberrys in these.
Short story turned long...
My first year was a terrible crop too.
I have had to learn to care for the plants same as if they are in the ground. Compost, fertilize, water, coffee grounds, and a trick I learnt from my wife's boss - I cut all the extra shoots so the plant spends all it's energy on one main vine.
Once the garden starts producing its more then my wife and I can eat...
Please don't just give up after one bad year... find out what went wrong and work to improve it. You'll be happy.
I am just not excited about container gardening after getting my soil amended properly in my small garden. If I were going to container garden I think I would go for something big and portable like a Movable Garden. I have been told lately by knowledgeable container gardeners that even 5 gallons is too small a container for tomatoes, 25 gallons is more like it.
With enough room to spread out my tomatoes in my garden are several orders of magnitude bigger than anything I had in a container. I built a 10x10 raised bed and plant about 40 plants in it plus a variety of herbs. At one time I had over 100 tomatoes on one plant that was about 4x4x4 feet in size and I live in MT. Now I freeze tomatoes and make sauce over the winter.
This is the first year we'll try planting in the real garden. I'll keep the hanging garden going though, for frost protection. I found last year that the frost hit my hanging plants 2-3 weeks after it had killed my ground plants (we also had a bad early frost here).
Our friends built a "recycled" window greenhouse to grow their veggies in... that's next on our list.
I have included photos of my right side up tomatoes grown on my backyard deck.
By the way, I would love to try this, if it really works!
I wrapped the bigger one in a piece of paper; not small enough. I rewrapped, applying a bit more force; still not small enough. One final wrap, and some careful squeezing through the hole, and I managed to get the plant through. Sadly, the ripening berry got squished, but the rest of the leaves/stems seemed just fine. Hopefully they'll both make it. :)
Note that that's a temporary location. I have too many strawberry plants, those are going to a friend who has none.
I made five of these and love them! My jalapenos and tomatoes are going crazy, and even my strawberry plant seems to enjoy the innovative planter. These are SUCH an awesome idea, and they took no time at all to make. Thanks for posting such a great instructable!