Cherry tomatoes are a prime candidate for an upside down planter.
A Topsy-Turvy brand tomato planter promises you a bountiful harvest of beautiful tomatoes. Their secret? You fork over about $20 and they send you a container with planting holes in the bottom. The containers save garden space and keep fruit off the ground where it is more susceptible to pests. But you don't need to spend your hard-earned cash on a brand name tomato planter, a little creativity and a rummage through the kitchen can net you one for free. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Take some plastic grocery bags and put them one inside the other. Tomato plants can get very heavy so use six to eight bags. Once all the bags are in place lay them flat and snip a small "X" in the bottom of the bags with scissors. Cut through all layers of the bag at once. The "X" does not have to be big, just big enough to allow you to pass the tomato plant roots through the bags. If your grocery bags are the type with no stretch at all, you will be better off using kitchen-size trash bags that have some stretch.
2. Strip off any leaves from the lower part of the tomato seedling's stem. Pass the root ball through the hole in the bottom of the bags. You should stick one hand inside the bags to guide the tomato plant through the hole. Pull the tomato plant through the hole until the entire stem is in the planter. You only need the top bunch of leaves of the plant to be sticking out of the bottom of the bags.
3. Hold the bags open with one hand and start adding potting soil to the planter with the other hand. Try to keep the stem and the roots in the center, with soil all around it.
4. Wrap a short length of duct tape around the handles on each side of the bag - catching all six to eight of them in the tape to help prevent the handles from tearing.
5. When the bag is three-quarters full you need to find a place to hang it. Pick a spot that gets a lot of sun. Screw two hooks into a deck railing or mount brackets on a wooden fence. Using two hooks not only helps distribute weight, but keeps the top of the planter open to make it easier to water, and for them to catch rain water.
6. Water your tomato plant every day and watch your tomatoes grow. Water frequently. Your upside down Topsy Turvy tomato planter may not be as pretty as the one on TV but it can do the trick... and it won't cost you a thing.
Tags: tomato plant, bottom bags, through hole, tomato planter, grocery bags, plant through, plant through hole