Ok guys here are pictures and step by step of how to assemble your own upside down tomato grow similar to a topsy turvey but with stuff probably laying around your garage. My tomato starts are not big enough to use, so I cut a branch off my hedges to illustrate with! Also, I recommend using a 3 liter bottel as you can fit more soil mixture in. First pic is of all the stuff you will need:
Clean 3 liter bottle, small piece of filter fabric, tomato start 2-3" in a jiffy plug or rooted well, potting soil or planting medium, razor knife, small pointed knife, wire cutters and wire.
Step #1 Clean out empty 3 liter bottle and put cap back on. Take sharp knife and poke small holes all around outside of bottle to allow air in, but not so big as to allow soil out easily.
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Remove plastic cap and cut end off bottle. Next using a sharp knife, push ends of end of bottle together and make holes that line up to each other. Insert wire ends through holes and tie each end off on the same side. This is important as when you hang your wire loop to a nail or plant hanger the weight of the soil will pull the edges together. Bottom should not be sealed as air needs to get in from the crack and holes poked earlier.
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Take small piece of weed barrier fabric and cut a small X into it and place over the plant. This will help keep your soil in. Once plant is inserted through the small opening and fabric is evened out around opening add your top soil and fill the rest as much as you can get in and still have the bottom close. Once filled, water, hang and enjoy!
Do Not Over/Under water & Remember to Fertilize As Needed!
I personally use a product called Tomato Tone it is a very good plant specific fertilizer that I have had great success with in the past.
__________________ Most of my life I've spent hunting,... the rest of it I've just wasted
i understand why people finish pot upside down the last week or so before harvest but why grow tomatoes upside down?
I dont know about growing pot, but I agree with jtuck... because it can be done is about a good a reason as any! LOL
My dad has had terrible damage from rabbits at his place, so keeping the plants up is the answer for him... we also do peppers and I think the peppers do really well upside down.... also good for folks in apartments with a balcony or limited yard space.
__________________ Most of my life I've spent hunting,... the rest of it I've just wasted
I have 3 going so far, and they are looking good, leaves spreading back up skyward and nice curl in stems. The peppers arent quite big enough to clear the opening yet, so gonna wait to make more tomato ones when the peppers are ready too.
will post pictures if i could find batteries for the camera LOL
__________________ Most of my life I've spent hunting,... the rest of it I've just wasted
Baser - the top should draw together but from experience it will always have a crack exposed which is good because oxygen can get to the roots and watering is easier. The reason you dont want it completely open is because during a heavy thunderstorm, it could get too much water into the container and potentially wash the soil out. If that does happen, just add some more soil as you may need to during the grow anyway. It is usually hard to overwater a full sized plant, but you could potentially rot the roots or stem of a small developing plant with too much water. However, since this plant is hanging up the soil temperature will get warmer and water will evaporate faster with this setup much like any other container plant. So you WILL need to water this setup more regularly than a tomato plant grown in the soil.I would also recommend the smaller tomato varieties like the cherries for this type of setup. However, any variety will grow this way. Keep in mind that you have limited the amount of root space so a very large variety will become root bound quickly and may not produce as much fruit. Personally I am growing Gurneys Jelly Bean variety cherry tomato.If nothing else, this makes for a great conversation piece on your patio without fighting weeds!
__________________ Most of my life I've spent hunting,... the rest of it I've just wasted
