subject: Join The Upside Down Tomato Growing Craze [print this page] There are millions of people who live in circumstances where they only have a small outside area to grow any plants. For this reason most unit and apartment owners do not attempt to grow fruit and vegetables. But in many cases these people can still get enough sunlight to grow tomatoes using the upside down tomato growing system and the reason for that is that the container can be moved from hanger to hanger, following the sun for the required number of hours a day.
So what is an upside down tomato?
It is a system where the tomato plant is planted down through the bottom of a container rather than up at the top of the container. The container is then hung on a hook and the healthy tomato plant grows down towards the ground. It all seems to go against nature doesn't it, but in actual fact it is proving to be very successful and very popular.
Another factor that is making this system so popular is that plants grown with this method are actually producing high volumes of good tomatoes. What more could you ask for when growing tomatoes in a small outside area.
There is one major benefit of growing tomatoes this way: the grower does not have to bend over to tend the plants. This means of course, that they are not only grown by owners in small units and apartments.
Here is the growing process for upside down tomatoes:
- Choose and buy a suitable tomato seedling (usually the small to medium sized palnts)
- Make or buy a suitable pot: it must have a central hole of about 1 to 1 inches at the bottom and it must have four holes at the top to attach the hanging arms
- Place several layers of newspaper on the bottom of the container and cut cross in line with the hole, then gently push the root system of the seedling up through the hole and paper. Push the through the hole so that only 4 to 6 leaves protrude from the bottom - Fill the pot with a prepared tomato growing soil mix
- Place the lid on the container (the lid should have holes or slots to allow the water to go through to the soil)
- Hang the pot on a strong hook in a sunny position
- Once the flowers start to form on the plant fertilize the plant every 3 to 4 weeks until the fruit is fully developed.
Tomato varieties.
The most popular varieties chosen to be grown in upside down containers are the smaller cherry and grape tomatoes. Growers who have used this method a lot have said that they also get excellent results with the medium sided tomatoes and when growing the larger varieties the fruit has been just as good, but not quite as prolific. Needless to say the larger the tomato variety grown the larger the pot would need to be to support the root system.
Fresh homegrown tomatoes are superb and it is good to know that this system can work so well. The system of growing upside down tomatoes really does suit so many home gardening situations and with the benefit of easy of tending and the fact that can often be located near the kitchen makes the system one that will always be popular.
