Upside Down Tomato's

Cross Hair · 03-20-2009, 11:47 PM

I'm sure most here have seen those topsy turvey things with the upside down growing tomatos? These are really easy to build yourself with stuff you probably already have.

Take an empty 3 liter bottle and remove the cap, rinse out and cut the whole bottom off. Start a tomato or buy a very small start at your local greenhouse. remove the start from the plastic container once it is large enough to fit through the opening and extend past the opening, but not so large as to damage limbs going in. Place plant through the opening so plant is sticking out. fill the rest of the empty container with potting soil, leaving enough space at the end to pinch both sides together. Put holes that you can attach wire or string to bring both sides together and suspend from a gutter, deck, bird feeder (shepherd pole) etc. Water as you would your other potted plants and fertilize as necessairy too.

VOILA' you have yourself an upside down mater grower for us do it yourselfers!

nathangdad · 03-21-2009, 10:36 AM

There are some people in the Texas Panhandle growing upside down tomatoes with phenominal success.

Don't know anyone who has made their own upside down device.

Lots of stories from last year about people with so many tomatoes
they could not give them all away.

I may get a kit and do one on my front porch this summer.

.22hustler · 03-21-2009, 11:48 AM

I need a visual!! I love tomatos. We planted 57 plants last year, and just last week, my wife made lasagna using a couple of quarts.

Cyrano · 03-21-2009, 12:05 PM

Hang on a second. As I'm visualizing this, you put the stem of the tomato plant out the neck of the 3 liter bottle, then fill up the bottle from the bottom with compost/earth, and suspend it with the bottle neck down. Is this correct?

magicjeep · 03-21-2009, 02:14 PM

my father-in-law made a few of the these with some old spackle buckets. He cut a hole in the bottom, put the plant in (extending thru the bottom) filled the bucket with dirt and hung it from the handle. I think he removed the handle, drilled a hole and threaded a piece of cord thru to hang it from.

He might have even cut the bottom, filled the bucket w/dirt, put the lid back on and started the plant from seed. Once the seed sprouted enough he flipped it over and removed the lid so he/the rain could water them. If you do it this way you can use heirloom seeds of varieties you can get from the garden center.

Now that I am typing this I think I will be using this method this year.

GlockMeister · 03-21-2009, 02:55 PM

Pictures please, would like to see pictures. Bring on the tomato plant porn. lol

Cross Hair · 03-21-2009, 09:59 PM

Cyrano, you got it, the plant stem comes out the opening where you would pour out your soda from. I forgot to add that if you put a small circle of landscape fabric it will help keep your soil in, however its not totally necessairy if you dont mind a little wet soil dripping from time to time... screen would work too I suppose.

Majiceep, that sounds like a great method too! I might try one that way myself!

Glockmeister, I will take some pics tommorrow while I assemble a few, I threw the ones away from last season... however, my seeds FINALLY arrived today, so I am just now getting them started tonight! Behind... I will use Flourescent grow and Metal hallide running 18hrs a day to catch up!

I've worked in greenhouses since I was a kid and a lady I worked with was doing that a long time before I saw the commercials, figured some of you handy guys here would like to try it out without spending the money on a kit that does the same thing. Will post some pics tomorrow guys!

Cross Hair · 03-22-2009, 03:11 AM

OH... I want to add that ^ above when I mentioned using supplemental lighting to catch up on late started plants, I was typing in a hurry without thinking...(as usual!LOL) and posted using metal hallide to start plants... DO NOT use metal hallide on a plant that is a seedling or emerging... it will fry them! Only use fluoro bulbs! My MH's are only for mature plants... just wanted to clarify

jtuck · 03-22-2009, 07:31 AM

I did this last year with five gallon buckets. It worked really well.
That's what we grew our grape tomatoes in.

Dan22 · 03-22-2009, 08:46 AM

Disney World near Orlando has a Hydroponic display in the Kraft building in the EPCOT complex.
They have been growing upside-down plants for many years and have a ride through the complex.
If you ever get the chance to see it you will be amazed with what they've done.
GARDENING : Public Gardens : Disney's Hydroponic Approach to Gardening : DIY Network

Here are a few shots I took at Disney a few years ago. They also had fish they were raising in tanks.

Cross Hair · 03-22-2009, 08:03 PM

Dan, I love hydroponics! It is awesome hobby to get into. Disneys grow op looks pretty sweet! Hydroponics is so much better than soil growing because your plant & fruits of plant grow bigger, faster & tastier than in soil grows. This is because the plant does not have to "work hard" in the vegetative stage. It gets all its nutrients delivered on a constant basis and does not have to fight getting roots through soil to absorb nutrients. They are pretty easy and cheap to build yourself aswell. If anybody wants to know how to setup a cheap bucket system hydro grow let me know! I am finishing in our front porch this summer and will be installing a full hydroponic system to grow fresh veggies year round! A friend of mine owns a garden shop and has a goldfish tank that he floats styrofoam on top of the water and grows lettuce plugs constanly on it... adds no nutrients as the fish waste is pulled up by the roots to fertilize the lettuce.

03-20-2009, 11:47 PM	#1
Cross Hair Coyote Sniper Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Central Illinois... Middle of Nowhere Posts: 1,484	Upside Down Tomato's I'm sure most here have seen those topsy turvey things with the upside down growing tomatos? These are really easy to build yourself with stuff you probably already have. Take an empty 3 liter bottle and remove the cap, rinse out and cut the whole bottom off. Start a tomato or buy a very small start at your local greenhouse. remove the start from the plastic container once it is large enough to fit through the opening and extend past the opening, but not so large as to damage limbs going in. Place plant through the opening so plant is sticking out. fill the rest of the empty container with potting soil, leaving enough space at the end to pinch both sides together. Put holes that you can attach wire or string to bring both sides together and suspend from a gutter, deck, bird feeder (shepherd pole) etc. Water as you would your other potted plants and fertilize as necessairy too. VOILA' you have yourself an upside down mater grower for us do it yourselfers! __________________ *Most of my life I've spent hunting,... the rest of it I've just wasted*

03-21-2009, 10:36 AM	#2
nathangdad Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 6,062	Texas Panhandle There are some people in the Texas Panhandle growing upside down tomatoes with phenominal success. Don't know anyone who has made their own upside down device. Lots of stories from last year about people with so many tomatoes they could not give them all away. I may get a kit and do one on my front porch this summer.

03-21-2009, 02:14 PM	#5
magicjeep Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Central NJ Posts: 498	my father-in-law made a few of the these with some old spackle buckets. He cut a hole in the bottom, put the plant in (extending thru the bottom) filled the bucket with dirt and hung it from the handle. I think he removed the handle, drilled a hole and threaded a piece of cord thru to hang it from. He might have even cut the bottom, filled the bucket w/dirt, put the lid back on and started the plant from seed. Once the seed sprouted enough he flipped it over and removed the lid so he/the rain could water them. If you do it this way you can use heirloom seeds of varieties you can get from the garden center. Now that I am typing this I think I will be using this method this year. Last edited by magicjeep; 03-21-2009 at 02:20 PM.

03-21-2009, 02:55 PM	#6
GlockMeister Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Northern Illinois Posts: 10,792	Pictures please, would like to see pictures. Bring on the tomato plant porn. lol __________________ "The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion." "Edmond Burke"

03-21-2009, 09:59 PM	#7
Cross Hair Coyote Sniper Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Central Illinois... Middle of Nowhere Posts: 1,484	Cyrano, you got it, the plant stem comes out the opening where you would pour out your soda from. I forgot to add that if you put a small circle of landscape fabric it will help keep your soil in, however its not totally necessairy if you dont mind a little wet soil dripping from time to time... screen would work too I suppose. Majiceep, that sounds like a great method too! I might try one that way myself! Glockmeister, I will take some pics tommorrow while I assemble a few, I threw the ones away from last season... however, my seeds FINALLY arrived today, so I am just now getting them started tonight! Behind... I will use Flourescent grow and Metal hallide running 18hrs a day to catch up! I've worked in greenhouses since I was a kid and a lady I worked with was doing that a long time before I saw the commercials, figured some of you handy guys here would like to try it out without spending the money on a kit that does the same thing. Will post some pics tomorrow guys! __________________ *Most of my life I've spent hunting,... the rest of it I've just wasted*

03-21-2009, 11:48 AM	#3
.22hustler Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: New York Posts: 2,677	I need a visual!! I love tomatos. We planted 57 plants last year, and just last week, my wife made lasagna using a couple of quarts.

03-21-2009, 12:05 PM	#4
Cyrano Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: New York Posts: 8,220	Hang on a second. As I'm visualizing this, you put the stem of the tomato plant out the neck of the 3 liter bottle, then fill up the bottle from the bottom with compost/earth, and suspend it with the bottle neck down. Is this correct?

03-22-2009, 03:11 AM	#8
Cross Hair Coyote Sniper Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Central Illinois... Middle of Nowhere Posts: 1,484	OH... I want to add that ^ above when I mentioned using supplemental lighting to catch up on late started plants, I was typing in a hurry without thinking...(as usual!LOL) and posted using metal hallide to start plants... DO NOT use metal hallide on a plant that is a seedling or emerging... it will fry them! Only use fluoro bulbs! My MH's are only for mature plants... just wanted to clarify __________________ *Most of my life I've spent hunting,... the rest of it I've just wasted*

03-22-2009, 07:31 AM	#9
jtuck Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Missouri Posts: 1,428 Blog Entries: 1	I did this last year with five gallon buckets. It worked really well. That's what we grew our grape tomatoes in. __________________ I give people respect, not because of who they are, but because of who I am.

03-22-2009, 08:46 AM	#10
Dan22 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Central Florida Posts: 708	Disney World near Orlando has a Hydroponic display in the Kraft building in the EPCOT complex. They have been growing upside-down plants for many years and have a ride through the complex. If you ever get the chance to see it you will be amazed with what they've done. GARDENING : Public Gardens : Disney's Hydroponic Approach to Gardening : DIY Network Here are a few shots I took at Disney a few years ago. They also had fish they were raising in tanks. Attached Thumbnails __________________ USAF '58-'62 Last edited by Dan22; 03-22-2009 at 02:54 PM. Reason: Add Pictures

03-22-2009, 08:03 PM	#11
Cross Hair Coyote Sniper Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Central Illinois... Middle of Nowhere Posts: 1,484	Dan, I love hydroponics! It is awesome hobby to get into. Disneys grow op looks pretty sweet! Hydroponics is so much better than soil growing because your plant & fruits of plant grow bigger, faster & tastier than in soil grows. This is because the plant does not have to "work hard" in the vegetative stage. It gets all its nutrients delivered on a constant basis and does not have to fight getting roots through soil to absorb nutrients. They are pretty easy and cheap to build yourself aswell. If anybody wants to know how to setup a cheap bucket system hydro grow let me know! I am finishing in our front porch this summer and will be installing a full hydroponic system to grow fresh veggies year round! A friend of mine owns a garden shop and has a goldfish tank that he floats styrofoam on top of the water and grows lettuce plugs constanly on it... adds no nutrients as the fish waste is pulled up by the roots to fertilize the lettuce. __________________ *Most of my life I've spent hunting,... the rest of it I've just wasted*