Short on space? Tomatoes don’t care if they’re growing up or down, they taste delicious either way. If you have a small growing space, try this!
Shopping List
- Cherry tomato plant
- 10L bucket
- Hole saw or craft knife
- Tui Pea Straw Mulch
- Tui Tomato Mix
- Seaweed Plant Tonic
- Garden staples
- Sturdy hook
What you need to do
- Cut a 5cm diameter hole in the bottom of the bucket using a hole saw or craft knife (watch your fingers!).
- Line the base with Tui Pea Straw Mulch. This will keep the mix in the bucket.
- Next fill the bucket with Tui Tomato Mix, filling to about 10-15cm from the top of the bucket.
- Put the lid on the bucket. It’s a good idea to also cut a hole in the lid too, for easier watering. Lie the bucket on its side.
- Place two capfuls of Seaweed Plant Tonic into another bucket of water and soak the tomato seedling in the bucket before planting.
- Gently push the tomato seedling through the hole in the bottom of the bucket, up to the first set of true leaves.
- Slowly turn the bucket over and lift it up by the handle. Choose a sunny position in your garden and hang from a super sturdy hook as the bucket will be heavier once watered.
- Water through the hole in the top of the bucket or remove the lid.
- All done! Now you have an upside down tomato plant. Make sure you water and feed your tomato plant regularly because tomatoes get very thirsty and hungry.
Post a comment
Upside Down Tomato Planter Gardening Hack Comments
Fabulous information on this site . I love the upside down tomato planter idea lots of handy ideas many thanks
Isabella Davis
Thanks Isabella, that's fantastic to hear. We appreciate your feedback. Happy spring gardening from the Tui Team!
Tui Team
I know this idea has been floating around for the last few years, but has anyone actually tired it or had success??
Mari Hewson
Hi Mari, yes we have seen this hack recreated both last year and this year with tomatoes growing from it.
Tui Team
I successfully grew a sweet-100 tomato using this method last season
Peter
Would this work for a strawberry plant as well? they like to hang
Brian Purdie
Hi Brian, great idea! We haven't tried it with strawberries but it could work for them too. Let us know if you try it.
Tui Team
I see the bucket looks like a paint bucket, I have many around but I would not use it for growing food in because of the paint that had been in it.
marilyn Kendall
Hi Marilyn, thanks for getting in touch. These buckets are a pail type bucket which you can purchase new from DIY stores such as Mitre 10 and Bunnings.
Tui Team
Hi, Can you use the bigger tomato plants or is it best for the cherry tomatoes
Adrienne Murray
Hi Adrienne, cherry tomatoes work best as they produce smaller tomatoes so are less heavy.
Tui Team
Is there others verges this would work with, and would it serve to save water since we are on tank supply
Jo Bock
Do you think this would work for cucumbers and courgettes too?
Sarah Ray
Hi Sarah, we haven't tried it ourselves but we know others have experimented with other vegetables. Let us know if you give it a go :)
Tui Team
I like the idea of growing them above ground will try it out.
TerryEustace
I have planted my tomato plants about 6 weeks ago and nothing has happened, what have I done wrong as I've no money to buy anything, I just got plants from a neighbour any suggestions? Thanks.
Nancy wallace
Hi Nancy, it is still early for planting tomatoes, you don't say which region you are in, but as a rule, Labour Weekend is the time to plant tomatoes in the garden. As temperatures start to warm you should start seeing some growth. In the meantime, protect your little seedlings from the cold by cutting the bottom out of a 1.25L or 2L drink bottle or cutting it in half depending upon how big your seedlings are, and place it over the top of the plant, it acts like a mini greenhouse and will give your tomatoes a head start. Try and protect the plants from the wind by providing some sort of shelter around the plants, I have used plastic packaging and bamboo stakes around my plants and have removed it and replaced it several times when the temperatures dropped. If you can stretch your budget, get some Tui Organic Seaweed plant tonic and apply this weekly to your plants at a rate of 50mls per 9L watering can, it helps plants tolerate temperature fluctuations and is really good for this time of year when we are getting hot and cold days. Hopefully this information is helpful, once temperatures are more consistent and the weather warms up, the tomatoes will take off.
Lianne
I planted my tomatoes about 6 weeks ago, they were doing okish and then I put some windbreak around them (I used a white type of frost cloth). They started to take off without the wind and now they are 60 cm plus tall, almost like I can see them growing. I used three varieties, Russian Read, Money Maker and Early Doll, primarily because they will set fruit in lower temperatures should we get a cool snap in November or so, I grew one of each variety. I have now planted a second batch, Ox Heart, Beef Steak and Grosse Lisse. I will buy some cherry plants and grow them in planters on the wall that I have made from pallet wood, I think I will try Sweet 100 as they grow spectacular trusses, Cherry Berry, these are supposed to be crack resistant and Tumbling Tom yellow for a change. I make chilli products as a fundraiser for a local charity called Abbyfield House, they will provide low cost semi supported living for older people with limited means, so I will have to grow some more. More pallet wood planters here we come. One of the reasons that you need to water regular and deeply are to encourage root growth to be deeper and to stop your fruit from cracking (or bursting) if you get rain.
Paul Cronin
Hi Paul, such a good list of tried and true tomato varieties. We would love you to share photos of your different tomatoes when they start fruiting. That is such a worthy charity to support, nothing will go to waste, I hope your tomato growing season is a fruitful one!
Lianne