You may have seen upside down tomato planters advertised on the web, or have thought of building your own. Aside from the novelty of these what are the advantages?
Upside Down Tomato Planter Options
There are a couple of commercially available planters. Some are for just a single plant, while others
While they are advertised primarily to be for tomatoes, they can also be used to grow small bush plants like peppers and eggplants. There are also several herbs that will grow nicely in one of these.
The smaller variety (for example the Topsy Turvy planter) can be found for under $20. It will hold one plant, and needs to have someplace to be hung.
There are larger self supporting units like the Upside Down Tomato Garden, which stands almost 5 feet tall and will hold several plants. It is a great addition to an apartment balcony or patio, and is also a nice little garden space to place closer to your kitchen that a normal size garden.
For both types of planters, you need to be aware that fully loaded with soil they can weigh quite a bit, so you should consider carefully ahead of time just where you want to put it. The free standing upside down tomato garden can hold more than 70 pounds of soil, which is a lot of work to move.
Of course you could build one yourself. A simple plastic bucket could be used for the planter with a hole in the bottom of a few inches in diameter. It could be hung from a hook on a patio roof, or a simple sawhorse arrangement.
Advantages of Upside Down Tomato Planters
Growing tomatoes this way can allow them to ripen without rot. Pests like snails and ants will be almost non existent. Just be sure to keep it moist, as all container grown plants will tend to dry out quicker.
This tomato garden is perfect on a balcony or a patio for the apartment dweller, or on a patio or deck for those just looking to put a little bit of the garden closer to the kitchen.
J Ruppel writes a variety of gardening articles including information on
Compost Tumblers and
Gardening Tips.
